By the Blood, I commend You
by Allison Elder
Summary: YOU DARE!" Her eyes glowed black and Fudge was thrown backwards out the door and across the hall into the stone wall from the sheer angry power. "YOUR LAWS DO NOT CONCERN ME, FOOL!" **On Hiatus**
1. Prologue: Enter a Dark Figure

**Disclaimer:**

**_I do not own anything save for Raven Stryke, Ian Stryke, William and Maia Kern, Tyra Leisel, Ebony the Panther, Britz the Rawk, and the plot. The plot, I have taken from a mix of stories that I have read on here...so I ask that you do not get mad if you see a tiny piece of your plot in here. Simply email me and I will include the proper disclaimer for a phrase or whatever. Keep in mind, however, that coincidences do exist, no matter how careful we are._**

_**Thank you for your time. Enjoy the story.**_

_**Yours,**_

_**Allison**_

**Prologue**

"My lady Raven..." Argus Filch bowed deeply, hiding his surprise at seeing the tall, imposing figure before him quite well. "To what...may I ask...does Hogwarts owe this pleasure?"

"Oh don't be formal, Argus, really." The voice positively reeked of power. Cloaked from head to toe in black, with bottomless black eyes and satin black hair that reached her knees, the woman standing before Hogwarts' custodian cut quite the impression. Her clothes and hair both were constantly in motion, whipped about by an imaginary wind...much like Snape's own robes seemed to do when he walked...billowing about the hall.

"I'll call the house elves for your bags..." He hadn't taken two steps before she interrupted.

"Don't worry about it, Argus. Ebony would likely eat them...besides, that's what I brought these four to do." There was a hint of amusement in the words. Argus looked around the black figure to see four young people...and he frowned and returned his gaze. "Don't worry...they will cause you no extra trouble. Now, if you'll excuse us, we've an appointment with Albus."

"Of course, of course, Lady Stryke. Don't let me keep you." Argus bowes low again as the tall woman swept by him, as regally as if she'd been born to it.

Albus Dumbledore looked up from his conversation with Minerva McGonagall, Transfiguration teacher, and Severus Snape, Potions master, as the door opened and allowed the imposing figure in black to enter without any preamble. Severus and Minerva both leapt to their feet, wands at the ready and curses on their lips, before Albus spoke and broke the ice quite pleasantly.

"Ah, Raven, how good of you to come."

"I couldn't very well refuse an old friend of mine, Albus." The musical voice was warm and the blood red lips, a stark contrast to the pale, almost translucent white flesh, twisted upwards. She seemed not to notice the two flabergasted teachers behind her, though the four teens certainly did, the two on the outside giving the adults challenging glares while the two in the middle were content to press further away from the adults and let their counterparts do the challenging.

"And you brought your students, I see. They are well suited each to a different house, I assume?"

"Of course. I couldn't bring my two best, as they will not be separated, but these I believe will prove more than adequate."

"What can _children_ do?" Severus spat, suddenly.

She never turned to look at him, though her pleasant smile fell away. "Tyra."

One of the two girls stepped forward...her eyes were deep green and her hair was a rich brown. "Yes, Headmistress."

"What do you remember of the walk from the front doors to here?"

"Five hundred portraits...at least three decades old, I'd say...none newer. Eighty statues of various age and make. Six hundred fifty-three steps, five trick steps...four moving staircases. Fifty suits of armor, seven hundred rooms. Seven Thousand normal teenage-length strides." She recited in one breath off of the top of her head before stepping back into line.

"Will."

The boy nearest to Severus, who was on Dumbledore's left, stepped foward. "Yes, Headmistress." He was much like Tyra...only his eyes were gray and his hair was a brilliant red...not orange-red like most, but true red.

"What have you observed of this room?"

"Eighty portraits...the newest being Headmaster Dippet and the oldest being of the Four Founders of Hogwarts. Rowena Ravenclaw, Salazar Slytherin, Godric Gryffindor, and Helena Hufflepuff. One phoenix, six hundred books on each wall, four chairs, one desk...oak, I believe, with a stardard of about seven drawers. A telescope..." He continued on like this for some time, naming every single object within the room from memory, his eyes never leaving Raven's back. "Also, the man behind me and to my right is, I believe, the Potions Master. His hair looks greasy, but I believe that is the film that comes from being exposed to potion fumes for unusual ammounts of time. His eyes are black and most likely narrowed at me now. His stance is one of a trained duellist...and he has the manner of a dark wizard about him, as well as an air of repentance. Perhaps a Good Wizard turned bad or a Bad Wizard turned good. He is likely a spy, for he shows little emotion. His manner and the way he carries himself is suggesting of noble birth, as are the black robes that he wears...finer stitching than is normally seen among middle classes. As well as a more expensive though more durable fabric. The woman behind and to my left is likely the Transfiguration Teacher, for she is quicker to raise her wand. Also, her hair is in a severe bun, as if she doesn't want it in the way. This could constitute potion brewing, but it's more likely that she wants her face clear to be able to watch for the precise wand-movements that Transfiguration takes. She's wearing a deep green robes also suggesting that she is of noble birth for much the same reasons I stated before. Also, neither teacher has a ring on either hand, so it's likely that they've never been married." He finished and stepped back into line.

Minerva stared at the children in open shock, while Severus watched them with calculated surprise and Albus with open amazement and pleasure. He studied the two that had spoken before turning to Raven.

"And you say that these are not your best?" His voice was mild.

Raven turned and studied the four students intently before turning back around. "These four are good. They are some of the best that I have ever taught. But they are not **_the_** best." She said, calmly. Albus took her at her word and nodded. Severus, however, was not so inclined.

"How do you figure?" He asked, calmly...or so he thought. It was actually more of a snarl than a calm question.

"I can answer that, Headmistress." Said the remaining girl...an adorable younger child with blonde pigtails.

"Go ahead, Maia." Raven said.

Maia turned her bright brown eyes to the two teachers. "Titian and Teddy could tell you approxamately how many blades of grass there are in the yard, trees and bushes lining the Forbidden forest, including what types and their uses, as well as a very accurate estimate of square feet from the front gates of Hogwarts to the spot that we're standing in now." She said, calmly. "They could tell you the names of each and every portrait and statue, as well as the approxamate age and who made it." With that, she stepped into place.

"And you didn't bring your best...why?" Severus asked, slowly.

"For one, I needed them to stay behind and help the teachers back home. They've surpassed every other teacher and now take their lessons directly from me. However, they are quite useful at keeping the other students in line and, as I said before, they cannot be separated." Raven replied without a hitch. "Now if you're quite finished testing my motives, Severus Snape, I'd like to continue this meeting. I'm rather tired...inter-realm travel takes a lot out of even the best of enchantresses."

Severus sputtered as Raven turned back to Dumbledore, who smiled merrily with that infernal twinkle in his eye and nodded to her. "Now, to see which of your students belongs in which house." He motioned. "Minerva, the Sorting Hat if you please." When it was handed to him, he set it on his desk and looked to Raven. "I will let you choose the order in which they are sorted."

"Of course." Her lips twisted slightly upwards. "Will." He came forward obediantly and placed the hat on his head. After a few moments, it roared its decision.

"GRYFFINDOR!" Albus kept an eye on Raven, whose lips were twisted upwards in a sardonic grin, and he knew that she'd anticipated which student would be placed where.

"Maia." Though she trembled a little with the thought of displeasing her Headmistress, Maia walked forward and placed the hat on her small head, letting it fall down around her nose.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" Raven's sardonic smile never faltered.

"Tyra." Tyra seemed to be murmuring something to herself as she walked forward and placed the hat on her head, her lips moving constantly in the silence.

"RAVENCLAW!" The smile just widened. Albus was slightly amazed that Raven knew her students and their abilities well enough that she could pinpoint their houses, but he decided that it wasn't too surprising...Raven had always been a good judge of character...all save for one time, that was.

"Ian." The fourth of the new students stepped forward...his icey blue eyes boring holes in Albus Dumbledore's twinkling lighter blue ones. He had black hair, much like Severus Snape's, and it was held back in a pony-tail at the nape of his neck before falling on down to rest just above his shoulderblades. He had been the only one not to speak, and he had been the one to step up to Minerva's wand, challenging her silently with his intimidatingly intense eyes. He reached for the hat, but before he could, Raven spoke again.

"Ian, recite what you can about the potion that Professor Snape was brewing before he came up to this office."

Ian stopped and turned, meeting the tall woman's eyes boldly. "Used mainly to help children...or students in this case...get over mild colds or flus, the Pepper-Up Potion is a common and relatively simple brew. It uses peppermint leaves and spices to cleanse the sinuses and give the taker a boost of energy." He went on to list the ingrediants and the exact steps to brewing the potion before concluding with. "It is potent for up to four years, and is unique because of not only its taste but because it leaves the brewer smelling like Peppermint Tea for hours afterwards, with an underlying horseradish smell."

Severus' jaw dropped open as Albus looked past Raven to him. "Severus, what potion did you complete before you arrived in my office?"

"The Pepper-Up Potion..." Severus said, softly and faintly.

Raven held Ian's gaze for a moment longer before nodding curtly. He put on the Sorting Hat.

"SLYTHERIN!" It roared, not surprisingly. Raven smirked her satisfaction and nodded.

"I trust their things will be moved to the proper dormitories?" She asked, resting a hand on Ian's shoulder. He pressed back against her legs silently, watching the headmaster. Tyra and Maia pressed in as well, followed by Will, and the tall woman nearly staggered beneath their combined pressure.

"Of course, Raven." Albus said. "The House Elves have already begun the task. I trust each knows where their dormitory is?" At her curt nod, he smiled, delighted, and wrote something out on a piece of parchment, tearing it into four pieces and handing each of the students a piece. "Your respective passwords. You will have tomorrow to become aquainted with the school and the next day you will be taken back to London where you will catch the train like any other students. Please remember that while you're here Lady Stryke is not your Headmistress..."

Ian cut him off. "We know, Sir. Having already been briefed in full and having been drilled thoroughly as to our respective roles, we know what is expected of our time here and what we may or may not do to jeopardize or strengthen that role."

Albus looked at him shrewdly. "Indeed. Yes, well...carry on!" He smiled and stood up, kissing Raven's delicate hand before she walked out, her students following.

"Albus, are you mad!" Severus threw himself back into his chair. "They're CHILDREN!"

"As much as I hate to agree with anything Severus says, I must concur on this subject." Minerva stated. "Albus, what could they possibly learn that could be of use, assuming that they didn't turn bad themselves?"

"Now, Now..." Albus smiled reassuringly, eyes twinkling like mad. "Severus, Minerva, you both know that I would never do anything to put our position in danger. The Order of the Blood is, as of yet, still neutral. Voldemort knows this...he would never expect a blood-trained spy among the children and new recruits of his Death Eaters."

"Exactly!" Severus said. "They're still neutral! Albus, I trust your judgement, I do...but how can we know if they'll turn on us?"

"We can't!" Minerva said. "We can't be sure they won't decide that we're the weaker side!"

Albus sighed and shook his head, the twinkle disappearing as he stared at the two of them. "As much as I value both of your opinions, I'm confidant that while the Mother of the Blood teaches at my school, they will not turn against us...nor, however, will they turn for us."

"The **_MOTHER OF THE BLOOD_**! Albus, are you **_MAD_**!" Minerva screeched.

"Not last time I checked, no." Albus said, mildly. "And that was this morning." What he didn't tell them, was that it had been right after he'd recieved the confirmation of Raven's arrival. Heaven forbid that Albus himself doubt one of his infamous ideas. "So I'm afraid you'll both just have to bear with me and deal with my scheme." He said mildly, standing up and walking up the stairs and into his quarters, closing and locking the door behind him.

Minerva and Severus just exchanged looks of mutual dismay.


	2. Chapter 1: Enter the Combatants

**Disclaimer:_ See Prologue._**

_**Normally I would wait to see how y'all enjoyed the story before I posted the second chapter…but as it was just moved to my account and the prologue was just to explain a little bit about who the new DADA teacher was and why she was so powerful, I decided to post the second chapter now and get on to business. You'll find that the story has taken a twist…honestly, in the beginning, I was planning on a SS/HG pairing...but I think that, for this story, the only pairing that will happen, if it happens, will be a DM/HG pairing. Your comments will be welcome...though I warn all of you who wish to flame me that as this is made from the original workings of my own mind, I will not read flames. Period.**_

_**Writing is something I do for fun. I enjoy writing, and I think I'm good at it. The fact will always remain that this is my own personal story...a pastime I rather enjoy, actually...and I write to wind down after a long day of classes. Not so that you can point out every minute flaw in my writing.**_

_**Thank you for your time. Enjoy the story.**_

_**Yours,**_

_**Allison**_

**Chapter 1**

Hermione Granger sat silently at the Gryffindor Table, watching the sorting. There was a new kid at the table...one in her year, which was odd...considering that she had never known Dumbledore to take transfers before. His name was Will Kern and he seemed actually rather odd. Hogwarts' Head Girl had changed drastically during her sixth year...now, her hair was long and straight and her face remained empty of emotion. Few people produced an actual, visible response from her when they taunted her.

Which hadn't stopped Malfoy. As she thought about the insufferable Slytherin Git, she felt his cold eyes on her. She knew whose eyes they were before she even began to turn around, eyes narrowing. Thanks to Dumbledore's endless efforts to promote House Unity over the past year, most of the Gryffindors and Slytherins were now civil, if not friendly, towards each other. With the exception of Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy. They fought regularly...and fiercely. She had taken to using a time turner again the year before, and she had matured more than most people would believe.

Now...?

McGonagall's rapping on her goblet got Hermione's attention, and the Head Girl turned her icey glare away from Malfoy- who had the misfortune of being Head Boy- to the Deputy Headmistress...and then to Dumbledore, who stood up.

"Welcome to Hogwarts for another year of wonderful studies..." He began, going off on his normal shpiel of rules and regulations.

"Wonder who the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is this year." Harry leaned close to Hermione, whispering, as he looked up at the Teacher's Table. "I don't see anyone new..."

"Wonder if Snape finally got it." Ron murmured. "Greasy Bat...I bet..."

"Shh!" Hermione hissed as the teacher under discussion's eyes shot to the Redhead. Ron shut up and bit his lower lip, an audible gulping sound uttering from his throat.

"Finally, to promote unity, the Head Boy and Girl will have their own dormitory in a hidden place of my choosing. Also..." The doors flew open and a woman walked in...she was a good five foot ten and clothed in robes only a hint lighter than her ebony hair...hair that shone with red highlights. Her eyes were glowing red and she walked up to the head of the room without a word, robes and cloak billowing around her like she was in a tornado. Hermione saw Will stiffen as he watched her, and then she turned her face to Harry and Ron in confusion.

"**_Albus!_**" The woman's voice was terrible...her anger could be felt across the hall. "**_YOUR FOOL MINISTER HAS DEINED TO PASS THIS LAW AGAINST ALL COUNSEL! MY STUDENTS WILL NOT CONCUR WITH IT!_**"

"Ah...Allow me to introduce you all to this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher...Professor Stryke." Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. "Raven...my office after dinner and we will discuss this." He looked out into the crowd. "Will the Head Boy and Girl please meet me at the same time? Now, I know you're all hungry so...tuck in!"

Hermione and Malfoy exchanged disgruntled looks before Malfoy turned back to his food and Hermione followed suit. All too soon, the Prefects were standing up to lead their respective houses off to the dorms with the new password and it was time for the two of them to go up to the Headmaster's office. Hermione and Malfoy met at the entrance to the great hall, glaring daggers at each other as they walked slowly towards the Headmaster's office. When they arrived, Malfoy spoke the password and they began their ascent...just to stop abruptly at the angry voice of their new Defense teacher.

"I will not stand for this, Albus! Their petitions will be shredded each and every time that they arrive!"

They couldn't hear Dumbledore's answer, only the woman's harsh laugh. "Do you think that my students are so weak with wandless magic? Breaking their wands will do NOTHING to sway them, I assure you!" The voices fell silent as Draco lifted his hand to knock, hesitantly.

"Enter!" Dumbledore called, and the door swung open of its own volition. "Ah, Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy...thank you for meeting me."

The tall Defense teacher turned, her eyes no longer red or glowing, but a glittering, icey black. She looked at them appraisingly and then she sighed and walked out. "If Fudge does come, Dumbledore, Send him to me." She said.

Hermione and Malfoy exchanged glances.

"Now...to show the two of you to your dormitory." Dumbledore said, standing and taking three keys from a ring nearby. He handed Hermione the red one and Malfoy the green. "Come along." He led the way back to the entrance hall. "We'll start here so that it's easier...well, then. Come along." He led them down a long and complicated string of hallways to a dead end hallway without any doors in it. "Ah, here we are." He said with a smile, stopping before a portrait of a sinister-looking blond woman. "Hello, Natasha. I have a pair of wards for you."

"I don't want them." The woman sneered, cold gray eyes staring at Hermione and Malfoy as if seeing into their very souls.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to put up with them, Natasha, it's only for one year...after all."

"I don't care. I don't want them!" The woman hissed.

"Natasha...you know as well as I do that these are the best Head Rooms in the castle."

"Take them elsewhere, Dumbledore." Natasha snarled.

"Natasha!" The twinkle was gone from Dumbledore's eye. "You may be a magical portrait, but you are not impervious to fire!"

"Fine!" Natasha hissed. "But don't blame me when this little plan of your bites you in the ass! I may not be sociable, but it doesn't pass me by that you're trying to promote unity. My quarters may be good for that, but the repercusions could go either way. The outcome is not always Light. Password?" She sneered at the two students.

Dumbledore turned to Hermione and Malfoy as if he hadn't just argued with the portrait. "What would the two of you like your password to be?" He asked, pleasantly.

Hermione and Malfoy exchanged glances. "Lions" She said, as he said "Snakes" They glared at each other before relenting. "Snakes" She said, while he said "Lions.

"Well, Make up your mind!" Natasha snapped.

"Let's make it something foolishly easy to remember...but so stupid that nobody would think it." Hermione suggested. Malfoy hesitated, and then he nodded. It wouldn't do for them to fight in front of Dumbledore...they'd spent nearly every night of the second term in detention for their arguments during their sixth year. House Unity. Hah!

"How about...sphinx?" Malfoy suggested. Hermione frowned a little at this, thinking it over. Then she nodded and Dumbledore turned back to Natasha.

"Sphinx it is." He said.

"Very well." Natasha said, coldly, as she slid along the wall to one side, revealing a giant door made of sweet-smelling white aspen. Dumbledore slid his key into the lock and turned it before reaching forward and pushing on the silver door handle. He then led the way inside.

"Your keys will only work for the two of you. Anyone that you bring in here, whether it is to study or to visit, will have to come in with you. Natasha knows your faces now and will reveal her secret for none save you...and there will be serious consequences for someone who manages to get past her and use a fake key." Dumbledore said. "As mentioned before, the two of you will have several Unity Events to plan, and so you must work together on these." He smiled, brightly. "Also...you are expected to attend each and every event- from the four dances that we will have this year to the smallest Unity Events- together. Your dates can meet you there, but you will arrive and leave together. I also expect the two of you to set an example for the rest of the school. Mr Flint and Ms Bell did a wonderful job last year, and I expect the two of you to follow their example."

"MARCUS FLINT GOT KATIE SODDING PREGNANT!" Hermione shrilled, looking insulted, and Malfoy blinked in surprise.

"She did? He did? THEY DID! OH HELL NO!" He shouted.

"I hope you're not expecting me to carry this...this...this FERRET's child!" Hermione spun on Dumbledore, glaring at him.

"Like I'd ever touch a filthy, washed up, whore of a mudblood like you!" Malfoy sneered.

"Like you'd ever be good enough to touch me, you sodding piece of inbred trash!" Hermione sneered right back.

"Language, language." Dumbledore tempered. "Of course you do not have to follow their example to that extent. You must, however, get along. Be civil. Something that neither of you has managed." The fragile truce that they'd held thus far was shattering...the Heads were glaring at each other, fingering their wands. Dumbledore sighed silently. "Well!" He forced himself to be cheery. "I trust that you'll know which of your rooms is which by your stuff. Your class schedules will be waiting on your beds. I expect that the two of you will get a Unity-Enforcing Patrol plan set up for the prefects? Thank you." He never gave them time to answer. "Well, I will be letting you get on with business then. Tata!" And with that, he was off.

"This is all your fault, Mudblood!" Malfoy rounded on her.

"MINE! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO CAN'T GET ALONG!" Hermione screeched, glaring right back.

"IF YOU HADN'T BEEN IN THIS DAMNED SCHOOL THIS NEVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

"OH THAT'S LOGICAL! I COULD SAY THE SAME DAMNED THING ABOUT YOU!"

"I HATE YOU!" Draco sputtered.

"I HATE YOU TOO!"

"GOOD!"

"GREAT!"

"BRILLIANT!"

"WHAT, SO NOW YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE LAST WORD, TOO!" Hermione growled.

"YES!"

"SOD OFF!"

"FINE WITH ME!" Draco walked into the right hand room...slamming the door behind him. Hermione walked into the one on the left and slammed the door.

Five seconds later, the doors were flung open and they stormed past each other into the CORRECT rooms, slamming the doors again.


	3. Chapter 2: Enter the Grumpy Portrait

**Disclaimer: _See Prologue!_**

_**Those of you who reviewed: I absolutely love you! In the next chapter or so, I will begin listing your names to thank you individually, which means that you'll have to skip down to read the text, or read my little comments. This story is only on this computer, so it may drag a wee bit...I'm currently writing two other fics...one that has yet to be named or posted. It's a Hermione/Sirius type story for those of you who enjoy those. More information will be pending, I'm sure...I'm just currently on a major block as to what to do. Dumb Allison dug herself into a hole and can't quite get out of it yet. Never fear, however, I will find a way! As for the other story...it's posted...it's called Coyote Ugly and it happens to be a Severus/Hermione story...even though thus far Severus has yet to play a role as anything more than a couple of lines here and there. It follows the basic plot of the movie, with several changes that I added in to avoid plagiarism. Anyway...I'll stop babbling and let you get on with this chapter...the third chapter of By the Blood, I Commend You.**_

**_Oh! One more thing! If any of you would like me to email you with new updates, send me an email at I will add your email to a group of people to send notices to, and you will receive an email with almost every update that I make._**

_**Always,**_

_**Allison**_

**Chapter 2**

"He's utterly **_horrid_**!" Hermione snapped as she forcefully put grape jelly on her toast. Harry, Ron, and Ginny watched meekly as she sent crumbs literally _flying_ with each stroke of the knife. "That...that...that...FERRET has set my teeth on edge! He's going to ruin our whole seventh year!" She took a violent bite of what was left of her toast- which wasn't much- before looking at it in disgust and throwing it down. "I HATE peach jam..." She murmured.

Harry and Ron looked at each other and shoved large bites of eggs into their mouth. Ginny was suddenly _very_ preoccupied with the enchanted ceiling. It was Will Kern...the transfer student...who dared to speak. "But...Hermione..." To his credit, he didn't flinch under her glare. "That's Grape!"

"Oh..." Her wrath cooled by the utter stupidity of her actions, she looked down at her piece of toast. "So it is..." She picked it back up and began eating.

"So...what's our timetable like?" Ron asked Harry, who was studying his.

"Divination first." Harry groaned. "As if we don't have enough trouble coming up with new and imaginative deaths for ourselves without having to do it first thing on Monday Mornings..."

"Oh good!" Hermione perked up, picking her own timetable. "That means I have Arithmancy without..." She froze, staring at her schedule, toast halfway to her mouth. "OH MY GOD!"

Simultaneously, the Head Boy and Girl leapt from their seats, moving towards the teachers' table.

"The games begin..." Albus muttered to McGonagall as the students approached. "Ah, Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy, what can I do for you?"

"There's something wrong with my timetable, Professor!" Malfoy said, softly.

"And mine!" Hermione added. "I've all my classes with Slytherin!"

"And I've all mine with Gryffindor!" Malfoy added.

"So..?" Dumbledore began.

"EVERYONE knows how well our two houses get along, professor!" Hermione said. "We simply CAN'T have our classes together! We...we simply can't!"

Albus sighed and studied the two of them. "I'm sorry, Hermione, Draco, but I just don't see the problem. Until you have a valid complaint and proof to back it up, I simply cannot change your schedules around."

Hermione and Malfoy looked at each other in mute horror before storming back to their own tables. Hermione sat down and grabbed another piece of toast, beginning to spread Grape jelly violently over the surface as she cursed under her breath.

That afternoon, Hermione stormed into the common room with Malfoy following after her. She flung her bags to the floor and turned to glare at him. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

"HOW THE HELL IS IT ALL **_MY_** FAULT!" Draco screamed back.

"I DON'T KNOW! IT JUST...IT JUST IS! IF YOU HADN'T BEEN SUCH A PRICK..."

"WAIT A MINUTE, IF **_I_** HADN'T BEEN SUCH A PRICK! WHAT ABOUT **_YOU_**! OH LOOK AT ME, I'M HERMIONE GRANGER! I'VE GOT BIG BOOBS AND BLUSH LIKE A VIRGIN AND I KNOW EVERYTHING IN THE BLOODY FUCKING **_WORLD_** EVEN THOUGH I'M A **_MUDBLOOD_**!" He walked around, swaying his hips and sticking his chest out.

"YEAH WELL AT LEAST I'VE GOT **_CLASS_**! I'M NOT RUNNING AROUND SEDUCING EVERYTHING WITH TWO LEGS AND A PUSSY!"

"EXCUSE ME! **_WHO_** HAS CLASS! CERTAINLY NOT YOU! AND I DO NOT SEDUCE EVERYTHING WITH TWO LEGS AND A PUSSY!" She just glared at him until he finished the statement. "I SEDUCE EVERYTHING THAT'S **_NOT_** A MUDBLOOD WITH TWO LEGS AND A PUSSY!"

"OH, YOU'RE UTTERLY HATEFUL! IT'S NO WONDER VOLDEMORT IS SO INTERESTED IN YOUR SERVICE!"

"YEAH WELL AT LEAST SOMEONE CARES WHAT I DO AFTER SCHOOL! EVERYONE ELSE JUST ASSUMES SHIT!"

"LIKE VOLDEMORT'S NOT JUST **_ASSUMING_** THAT YOU'LL JOIN HIM!"

"IT'S EXPECTED!"

"IT'S STEREOTYPICAL!"

"IT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN PREPARED FOR ALL OF MY LIFE!"

"IT'S FOOLISH! YOU COULD GET YOURSELF KILLED!"

"Why Granger, I didn't know you cared!" He sneered.

"I don't. You're just another face to ignore through school." Hermione began to pace while Malfoy stood there watching. "There HAS to be SOMETHING we can do! It's like Dumbledore's trying to make us commit suicide! Or homicide!"

"Will you STOP THAT RACKET!" Natasha's voice came, irritably, from inside of a portrait as she stormed into the frame. "It's driving me absolutely **_CRAZY_**! It's a wonder the two of you get anything done at all, arguing as you do!"

"Dumbledore put us in all of the same classes!" Hermione screeched. "As if sharing a bleeding common room isn't enough of a pain in my ass!"

"That's PROFESSOR Dumbledore to you, Missie!" Natasha said, grumpily. "And Albus did no such thing. He doesn't schedule the classes or pick where the Head Girl and Boy will room any more than he picks who will or won't have magic in their blood when they're born!"

"What?" Malfoy looked up, sharply.

"Of course he doesn't! Its the same roster each year that does the planning! If the roster decides to place the Head Girl and Boy in all of the same classes, far be it from Dumbledore to question its reasoning!" Natasha snapped, sitting down in the big Victorian overstuffed chair in the portrait. It seemed that this was an alternate portrait for her to live in. "And the same goes for the Head Dormitories! Why the hell do you think I actually concurred to him when he brought you two miserable brats up here! You think I **_WANT_** my peace disturbed when you two have parties all night long, or when you sneak out at night? HELL NO! Not just no but HELL. NO."

"No need to be rude about it." Hermione said, one eyebrow arched.

"Indeed. It's not like we've done any of that yet." Malfoy added.

"It's the second goddamned day of the mother fucking year. Give it a while." Natasha stood up and stormed out of the frame.

Hermione met Malfoy's eyes and they both snickered before Hermione pulled a piece of parchment out of her bag. "Look...while we're being..." She paused. "Mildly civil...I think we should get the patrolling schedules down now. If we put it off, that just means that we have to patrol the whole school until we finish it."

"Agreed." Malfoy pulled a chair out from under their white oak table and turned it around, straddling it. "I can't patrol Fridays or Saturdays...those are the nights that I go partying."

"And I can't patrol Sundays or Mondays." Hermione said. "I want to be rested for the first two days of school each week."

"Okay..." They set to work, pairing Slytherins and Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, getting a schedule worked out nicely. Fifth and Sixth years patrolled Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, and Seventh years patrolled Tuesday through Thursday...giving the two younger years two nights each- the rest to do their homework, Hemrione insisted- and the seventh years- who should, Malfoy said, already know how to juggle patrolling and homework quite well- three nights. The two Heads went to bed that night peacefully...at ease with the cease fire between them and both thinking that maybe, just maybe, it would last long enough for the Unity Campaign to end.

Not so.

The next morning, Hermione pounded on the bathroom door. It was at the very top of the flight of stairs that stretched upwards between their rooms. It was outside...but charmed to remain the perfect temperature and hidden cunningly so that no one could see it, even if they were flying directly overhead. It never fogged up, and the water never grew cold...the bathroom was a paradise

But there was one big problem.

There was only one bathroom.

"MALFOY! LET ME IN! I'M GOING TO BE LATE IF YOU DON'T HURRY!"

"THAT'S NOT MY PROBLEM, GRANGER, SO SOD OFF!"

"MALFOY, YOU ASSHOLE! YOU TAKE MORE TIME IN THE LOO THAN PARVATI AND LAVENDER! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, CURLING YOUR PUBIC HAIRS!"

"FOR YOUR INFORMATION, IT TAKES A LOT OF EFFORT TO LOOK AS GOOD AS I DO!"

"GOSH, TOO BAD IT DOESN'T WORK, HUH!" She screamed.

"WHY YOU!" She was already running down the stairs when the door was flung open and the angry blonde ran out after her. She scooted to one side and stopped. He overshot her, stumbling in his haste to stop. By the time he turned, she was already back on her way up the stairs. Quidditch had been good for him, and to his credit he nearly caught her...but the door slammed and locked just before he grabbed her.

"DAMN IT GRANGER!" He yelled, pounding on the door. Her breathless laughter was the only sound that met his anger.

Later that afternoon, Hermione walked with Will, Harry, and Ron into Defense Against the Dark Arts, not knowing what to expect. Just to be sure, she put her text book on her table and her wand beside it. She saw a flash of silvery blonde before her book was knocked off of the desk. Ron and Harry leapt to their feet, glaring fiercely at Malfoy, as Hermione picked up her book and replaced it on the desk, standing up with wand in hand.

Before they could so much as take the breath to begin another argument, Professor Raven Stryke stormed into the room. "Well?" She snapped. "What are you waiting for? You've been given partners in your Transfiguration and History of Magic classes, haven't you? They're the same damned partners in each one, aren't they? I won't pretend you're stupid and need it spelled out for you again, so get with your partners and sit."

Glaring at each other, Hermione and Malfoy plunked down into the front row seats, at the same table. Ron and Harry gave her sympathetic looks before going off to their partners, and Will smiled at her wanly before hurrying off to his own partner. Ron was paired up with a transfer student named Ian Stryke...who Hermione assumed was the son, grandson, or nephew of the teacher. Indeed, Ian didn't seem at all surprised with the teacher's brisk, no-nonsense manner.

"Put your wands and the texts away." At their dubious look, Professor Stryke narrowed her eyes. "What, did I stutter? PUT THEM AWAY!" The class jumped and hurriedly stuffed their texts into their bags and their wands up their sleeves. "No, no! Put the wands in the bags, too!" She snapped. Hermione and Malfoy exchanged a look before putting their wands into their bags. "Very good.

"This year..." The formidable Professor said, calmly. "We will be learning wandless magic."

"But Professor." Hermione's hand shot into the air.

"Yes, Miss..." She glanced down and to the side swiftly. "Granger?"

"Don't you have to have certain special talents to be able to do wandless magic?" Hermione asked timidly. Malfoy was nodding beside her.

"Pfft! How much special talent does it take to wave a wand and shout 'abra kadabra' Miss Granger?"

"Um...none? But, that's not a spell, Professor."

"Exactly!" Raven said. "And just how effective do you think Wandless magic would be if you waved your hands around..." She waved her arms like a bird. "And shouted ALAKAZAM!" The class burst into laughter.

This time, it was Malfoy's hand that went up. When the professor nodded to him, he answered. "It wouldn't be, ma'am."

"Exactly!" Raven said, again. "Which means that I'm taking you back to the very basics of wandless magic. You, my dears, are going to learn magic all over again this year in a way that you've never experienced it before." With that, she swept up to the chalk board and began to write. "Take notes, dearies, you're going to need quite a bit of parchment for the first week of class...and if your handwriting is illegible, I suggest quick quotes quills...they work wonders. I will even sell them to you cheap." She waved her wand and three more chalkboards popped up and writing began appearing on them while she wrote swiftly on the first one. The class groaned.


	4. Chapter 3: Enter Snape

**Disclaimer: _See Prologue!_**

_**Here's that List that I promised:**_

Fossilized- Yes, in the presence of students, Snape addresses Dumbledore as Dumbledore. Who's to say about when there are no students around, though? I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Caliko- Maybe so...however, what happens when they've exhausted their resources when it comes to intelligent insults? Keep in mind that- out of the entire school- Hermione and Draco are the only two who haven't even **_attempted_** to be civil and end the "Unity Campaign" which has been going on for two years in this story. Out of the two years, Draco has ONLY picked on Hermione and Hermione has ONLY picked on Draco because everyone else just shrugged it off, not wanting detention. I'll explain more about this Unity Campaign later...so bear with me until then.

XX-Dracos-Dark-Queen-XX- She does tend to seem a bit like Snape or Umbridge, doesn't she? Well, one can hope it'll get better for the students.

Also, thanks to:

Forever-a-Wanderer

Your reviews were much appreciated!

**Chapter 3**

"I never want to take another note. Ever again." Hermione groaned as she put ice on her swollen right hand. Draco collapsed beside her.

"Quick Quotes Quills are sounding better and better." He murmured...putting ice on his own swollen hand. They had just gotten in from patrolling...and after all of the note-taking that they'd done that afternoon they'd barely been able to hold their wands. The others had been just as bad, nursing sore hands. No less than a hundred points had been taken off that night due to grumpy prefects and insolent first years.

"I think I'm definitely going to invest in a couple." Hermione agreed, sighing.

"Hey, while I'm thinking about it...let's get the first Unity Event planned for this year." Malfoy said, looking wryly down at his left hand, trying to decide whether it was worth deciphering the text later if he wrote in his non-dominant hand.

"Good idea." Hermione pulled out a piece of parchment, quill, and ink, setting them out on the white aspen coffee table. The furniture and the doors were made of the same type of wood, while the stairs were made of polished white sandstone. It was a very wintry setting, really. Hermione scrawled 'Unity Events' down at the top of the paper. "What if we list what NOT to do?" She asked. "That'll narrow down the choices of what TO do."

Draco nodded, dumbfounded at the neatness of her left-handed scrawl. She noticed. "Oh...I broke my right arm several times growing up. My cousins were rowdy. Anyway...I had to learn to write just as neatly with my left hand from an early age." She continued scribbling down things she DIDN'T want to do. When she was finished, she handed the list to him. "Let me know if there's anything you want me to add."

The list was fine-tuned and perfected that night, and then Hermione transfigured a copy for Draco. "Thanks." He said, heading towards his room.

"Hey Malfoy...I just had a thought."

"What?"

"What if we did a Partner's Dance?" She asked.

"You mean like boyfriend and girlfriend partners, right?" He asked, slowly.

"No...I mean like class partners dance. To get into the dance, they have to show up with their partners. It doesn't matter if there are two guys in a partnership or two girls or such...they can meet their real dates inside. However..." She said, smiling and warming up to the idea. "Under veritaserum, they have to be able to recite at least five facts about their partners!"

"WHAT! THAT'S ABSOLUTELY FUCKING STUPID!" Malfoy roared. Hermione, to her credit, didn't flinch.

"WELL IT'S MORE THAN YOU'VE THOUGHT OF! ONE-ON-ONE QUIDDITCH! HONESTLY, HOW THE HELL ARE YOU GOING TO PULL **_THAT_** OFF? QUIDDITCH, IF YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED, TAKES **_SEVEN PEOPLE_** TO PLAY!"

"THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL I'M GOING TO SHOW UP AT A DANCE WITH FILTH LIKE YOU ON MY ARM! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO LOOK **_NICE_** AT DANCES! NOT LIKE YOU'VE BEEN ROLLING IN MUD!"

"HERE'S NEWS FOR YOU, ASSHOLE, I DON'T EXACTLY WANT TO BE SEEN ALIVE WITH **_YOU_** EITHER! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT AN INBRED, HALF WITTED PRICK WHO DOESN'T HAVE THE BRAINS TO COUNT OUT INGREDIENTS IN POTIONS!"

"I GUESS WE'LL FIND THAT OUT TOMORROW IN SNAPE'S CLASS, WON'T WE, GRANGER! I BET **_YOU'RE _**THE ONE WHO CAN'T COUNT!"

"WHO BLEW US UP LAST YEAR!"

"WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HELPING!"

"THAT'S NOT FAIR AND YOU KNOW IT! YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHY I DIDN'T HELP! ACCORDING TO YOU- HELL, ACCORDING TO **_SNAPE_**- I COULDN'T DO SHIT RIGHT!"

"YOU KNOW WHAT, MUDBLOOD? YOU STILL CAN'T!" He shouted.

"AT LEAST I ADMIT TO MY MISTAKES!"

"WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN!"

"OH I DON'T KNOW! HOW ABOUT THAT INCIDENT WITH THE BROOMS AND YOUR GIRLFRIEND!"

"SHE WASN'T MY GIRLFRIEND! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT!"

"HAH! YOU SOUND AS IF YOU'RE ACTUALLY WORRIED ABOUT WHAT I THINK!"

"I'M NOT!"

"GOOD!"

"GREAT!" He stormed into his room and slammed the door.

"I HATE YOU!" She screamed at his door, slamming her own door. A few minutes later, their doors slammed open and both stormed out, towels in hand, to stop short at the sight of the other. Then they began to run up the stairs. "IT'S MINE!" Hermione shouted. "YOU GOT IT FIRST THIS MORNING!"

"SECOND BEST GETS SECOND TURN!"

"KISS OFF, MALFOY! I WANT THE DAMNED TUB FIRST!"

"**_HEY!_**" A roar came from a painting at the head of the stairs. Natasha was standing there, hands on hips, glaring at them. They shut up quickly, glancing at each other with loathing in their eyes. "SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!" The portrait screamed. "AND IT'S ALREADY DIFFICULT TO SLEEP STANDING UP WITHOUT TWO STUCK-UP, PETTY STUDENTS SCREAMING AT EACH OTHER!" She motioned jerkily to the bath. "THERE'S A REASON THE BATHROOM IS HUGE! IT'S FOR **_TWO PEOPLE_**! IT'S **_OKAY_** FOR YOU TO ENJOY A SOAK TOGETHER! YOU'VE BOTH GOT BATHING SUITS, DON'T YOU!" She didn't wait for an answer. "THEN SHUT UP AND LEAVE ME BE!"

She stormed back to her downstairs portrait...the one with the chair. Hermione and Draco looked at each other, suddenly not in the mood for their baths, and turned and walked down the stairs and into their rooms.

"Hey Mione!" Harry and Ron smiled at her as she sat down to breakfast. "How was your night?"

She glared moodily at them and grabbed her usual morning toast and grape jelly, beginning to spread the jelly on top violently. "I hate him. I hate him I hate him I HATE HIM!" She snapped. Will, Ron, and Harry exchanged glances.

"What did Malfoy do this time?" Ginny asked.

"He refuses to let me be first in the Bathroom!" Hermione shrilled. "I hate it! I don't have ANY time to get ready! I couldn't even take a shower this morning!" She glared at the boys, who had leaned away at her last comment, until they gulped and shoved food in their mouths to avoid having to comment. "Because Potions is first and Snape would NEVER forgive my tardiness!"

"Poor Mione...things will get better once the year kicks off. Get up an hour earlier, maybe." Ginny suggested.

"He gets up at freaking FIVE! And he's still in the bathroom when I get up at Six!" Hermione wailed. "And he doesn't come out until seven thirty! I cannot get ready in thirty minutes!"

"So do the same thing to him once, Hermione." Harry suggested. "Wait until fairly late at night and sleep in the bathroom. Lock the door with the strongest spells you know..."

"It's got an anti-unlocking-charm charm on it." Hermione said.

"Well then there you have it! Just lock the door and sleep in there. You're a witch, you can conjure a mattress." Harry continued. "Wake up at six, like normal, take an abnormally long ammount of time to get ready, and let him have a taste of his own medicine." He grinned.

Hermione perked up. "I may do that! Harry, you're a genius!"

"I know." Harry grinned. "Anyway...come on, we may as well get on down to the dungeons. Who knows what Snape has in store for us this year."

"Right...it'll be bad enough as is." Hermione said, shuddering. "Heaven, Hell, and Hades forbid we be late." She stood and picked up her bag.

"I'll see you guys at lunch." Ginny said, hurrying off to find Luna.

Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Will walked into the Potions Classrooms and took seats as the room began to fill up. Professor Snape swooped in right on time, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the Gryffindors. "What are you waiting for?" He hissed, softly. "The ingrediants to go extinct? PAIR UP AND GET TO WORK!" He waved a wand at the chalkboard and writing began to appear on it. When he noted that the Gryffindors and Slytherins were pairing up amongst themselves, he smirked, slowly. "Twenty points from Gryffindor for not listening to instructions! I said pair up! Yes, Miss Granger? I trust that your annoying penchant of always having to be right has not changed and thus it would be useless for me to ignore your blasted hazard of a waving hand?"

Hermione turned bright red as she whispered something. "What was that?" Snape sneered. "Speak up, Girl!"

"I said..." She lifted her bright red face to meet his eyes. "That you told us to pair up. You didn't specify who with."

"I should think that one with your supposed intellect would be able to fathom the fact that I meant with your Unity Partners. However, as that is not the case, I will reiterate." He said...proceeding to list each partnership. When he was finished, he smirked at Hermione where she stood beside Malfoy. "Now, I expect these potions to be brewed and on my desk by the end of class. Get to work." He turned away.

"Way to go, Mudblood..." Malfoy muttered, pale. "We'll never get this done!"

"We will if you shut up and listen for once, and Snape knows it." Hermione muttered, her fingers literally flying as she chopped ingrediants.

"Alright, alright...what do you want me to do?" He asked, voice shaky.

"What's wrong, Malfoy?" She never looked up from her work.

"I **_can. not._** afford to fail this class...Father would have my head and my balls mounted." He whispered back.

"Okay...grind the Dragon Scales. When they're fine powder- fine, not sandy- let me know." She said.

"That's the only task you're giving me?"

"I want it done right...and it's harder than you think." She said. He nodded and obeyed.

"How many scales?" He asked, trying to see the board.

"Three." She said. "That's what the recipe calls for. Can't you see it?"

"Of course I can!" He hissed. "What do you think I am, stupid?"

"No, but you may be nearsighted." Hermione said, beginning to stir the cauldron with one hand, steadily, as she added ingrediants with masterful skill using her other hand. "I'm nearsighted...my parents just let me wear contacts."

"What are those?" He asked, too intent on his grinding to notice that they were being civil...almost nice.

"Muggle Corrective Lenses. Like Harry's glasses...only instead of the lenses being in front of your eyes resting on your nose, contacts actually rest on your eyes." She explained, scooping up another type of chopped ingrediants and tossing it in. "How are you coming with those scales?"

"They're almost done." He said.

"Good. Now, when they're powder...no sand, keep in mind...add two of these..." She handed him a tiny spoon. "Of Unicorn Spittle. No more, no less. Be careful about it...I'm trusting your steady wand hand."

"Right." He said. A few seconds later, he carefully began measuring the spittle. "So...these contact things...how much do they cost?"

"Well, they're not too expensive depending on your budget." Hermione said, slicing the next ingrediant quickly. "You done?"

"Yes."

"Good. Grind Cockroaches."

"How many?"

"Four. They need to be paste."

"How complex IS this potion?" He asked, softly.

"Very."

"Could you...what I mean to say is...is there a way someone like me could get these contact-thingies?" Malfoy asked as he began grinding. The Dragon Scales and Unicorn Spittle went into the cauldron smoothly and Hermione continued to stir.

"Sure." Hermione said, a bit surprised. "You'd just have to go to an optometrist for an appointment."

"A what?"

"An eye-doctor. They live in the muggle world."

"Oh..." He was quiet for a while, smashing and grinding cockroaches. "How do I get an appointment?"

"Um...you're serious about this?" At his nod, she sighed. "I can get you one. All we'd need to do is get clearance to leave campus for a while."

"We?"

"Oh really, Malfoy." She said, picking up another cutting board covered in ingrediants and dumping it in. "How much about the muggle world do you know?" He was silent. "Exactly. You'll need a guide...unless you think Pansy can do any better, you're stuck with me."

He made a choked sound at the thought. "I know...I was just surprised that you would take the time to come with me." He said, softly. "This is done, by the way."

She looked at it. "You missed a couple of legs...there and there. They shouldn't upset the potion too much...but I don't think we want to chance it."

"Oh...thanks..." He continued grinding. "When can we do it?"

"I'll have to owl my mother and ask her to schedule you an appointment...so within the next couple of days. We'll floo to my house and my parents can take us." She scooped one of the last ingrediants into the potion. "They ready?"

"Yeah..." He showed her. She nodded in satisfaction and took the bugs, scooping the paste into the potion with a spoon.

"These are the last ingrediants...I'll finish up here if you'll go get the vials." She said. He nodded and hurried across the room, coming back shortly with a pair of vials. He helped her bottle and label the potions and while she took the cauldron to the sink to be cleaned, he took the vials up to Snape's desk. The entire class jumped at the sound of running water, and they glared at Hermione as she scrubbed her cauldron. Nobody else would be done in time. Snape knew this, and he smirked as he stood up, slowly.

"Since I obviously have only two competent students in this class, I am giving you all a two-foot essay due next class on this potion. You will identify it, its properties, and its main uses. Mr Malfoy, Miss Granger, you may go. Oh. For the two of you, I am assigning a two-foot essay due next class on..." He whispered the potion in their ears and their eyes widened. Hermione looked at Malfoy in shock, and he grabbed her wrist and yanked her out of the classroom before she could comment.

"But where are we going to find information on that potion?" She hissed to Malfoy in the hallway. "It's **_illegal!_**"

"I know! Snape slipped this into my pocket..." He pulled out a week pass to the restricted section.

"Why do they want us to research this potion?" She asked, frowning as they walked towards their next class...Care of Magical Creatures.

"Well...I can give you two guesses on why they wanted us to do it **_together_**." Malfoy said, bitterly.

"The Unity Campaign." Hermione shook her head. "You'd think they'd have given up by now."

"You'd think." Malfoy agreed. He then sighed. "I'm betting Snape needs to make this potion for Voldemort. I don't get what he stands to gain by having students research it, though..." As if he realized what he'd just said, he stared, stricken, at Hermione, who had both hands clapped over her mouth, staring at him. He grabbed his wand and pinned her against the wall, putting the tip of his wand to her throat. "I never said that." He snarled. "You never heard that, mudblood. I will deny it to the death and beyond."

"You never said what?" She snapped.

"Exactly." He took away his wand. "Meet me in the library tonight at seven." And with that, he stomped off.


	5. Chapter 4: Enter the Idiot I mean Minist...

**Disclaimer: _See Prologue!_**

_**It occurred to me that some of you might be a bit confused as to why exactly Draco and Hermione are being so buddy buddy all of a sudden in Potions. When I am assigned a partner in a class- even if I do not like the particular person I'm supposed to be working with, I try to keep up chit-chat with them so that we keep a bit of a truce going. After the project, we may or may not revert back to our old positions on the subject of each other. Draco and Hermione, obviously, did revert back to their hostility.**_

_**ALSO:**_

**_Thanks to Pink Sakura and _****_XX-Dracos-Dark-Queen-XX_****_ for your reviews!_**

_**Allison**_

**Chapter 4**

"GRANGER! GET YOUR ASS OUT OF THE LOO!" Malfoy screamed at Five O'Clock one morning, his face red enough that he could have been the spokesperson for a commercial on Coca Cola. All they'd have had to do was past the logo on.

"SOD OFF, MALFOY!" Hermione snarled back, "SILENCIO!" She then rolled over to go back to sleep until her alarm clock went off in another hour. The charm would wear off around then, too, so he'd know that she was JUST getting into the Shower.

She'd taken Harry's advice to heart...and eight days of no morning loo-time later, she'd stayed up just until she was certain that Malfoy was asleep before hurrying up to the loo with the next morning's outfit and the rest of her cosmetics. She fully intended to make the best of her use of the showers and make Malfoy wish he'd never hogged the loo to begin with. So when the silencio spell wore off and her alarm clock went off, almost simultaneously, she stretched luxuriously, turned the matress that she'd used the night before back into the bar of soap that it had originally been, and climbed into the showers, turning on the hot water as high as it would go and beginning to get ready. She took longer than she ever did that day, primping herself. She even put on a thin coating of makeup to accent her already natural beauty.

Her hair was straightened, de-frizzed, and curled under at the bottom carefully. She then used a butterfly clip to pull the very thinnest layer at the top back, leaving her face free. She'd never liked bangs, and she felt she looked best without them...so she'd grown them out until they were but another part of her butt-length honey-colored mane. Finishing this, she looked down at herself, nodded in satisfaction, added a minute ammount of clear gloss to her lips to bring them out, slid the gloss into her pocket, and tossed her pajamas into her dirty clothes bin, walking to the door- finally- at seven thirty. The whole time, Malfoy had been screaming obscenities- which she had ignored- and pounding on the door. As she opened it, his fists were descending again and the instincts born of ten years of karate kicked in, making her spin to one side to avoid his hit.

"Bout time, you filthy Mud-" He froze, staring at her.

Casual Dress Friday had been the first Unity Campaign maneuver- though admittedly, it had less effect on the Unity side of things as it did on the Couple side of things. As it was now Friday, Hermione was wearing her casual dress...whereas the week before she hadn't. It was the first Draco had seen of her that wasn't a tight bun and school uniform, and seeing her now made his jaw drop. She was in a pair of stunning midnight blue dress pants with tiny millimeter-wide silver stripes running down them. She was wearing a pair of indigo blue sandals with at least five inches worth of stiletto heels on them, and her toe nails were painted a fashionable midnight blue with tiny depictions of the moon on them in silver. Her suit jacket was buttoned closed over a tasteful midnight blue tank top, should she get hot during the day.

Hermione looked at him for a moment before _tsk_ing lightly and handing him a tissue. "Wipe up your drool, Ferret. I know I'm hot, but you, my dear, are so **_not_** my type." She breezed past him and down to the common room, picking up her book bag on the way out the door.

Of the four people waiting for her at the table- Will, Harry, Ron, and Ginny- Harry was the only one facing the door. He passed her off as a random girl at first before he did a double-take so quickly that he choked on his omlet.

"Oh for goodness' sake, Harry!" Ginny said, handing him a napkin. "What's that all about?" Still choking, and likely unable to form a coherent sentence if he wasn't, Harry simply pointed. And Hermione, sailing over to them, had the pleasure of seeing the other three Gryffindors completely speechless as well.

"Good morning!" She said airily, sitting down and picking up her usual morning toast. "Are you ready for another hour of Note-Taking in Professor Stryke's class?" She smiled, biting into her first piece of toast.

"You're in a good mood." Harry commented. Having been the first to go into shock, he was also the first to come out of it.

"I feel positively **_alive_** this morning, Harry." Hermione said, smiling. "Nothing can ruin my day!"

"Who are you and what have you done with Mione?" Ron asked. "She's never this cheerful because she's always whining about Draco Malfoy's despicable Morning Loo habits."

"I just took Harry's advice, is all." Hermione shrugged.

"Blimey, Mione!" Harry sputtered in amusement. "I wasn't expecting you to actually SLEEP in the LOO! I was JOKING!"

"It worked, didn't it?" She pointed out with a smile. "And it was actually quite pleasant, looking up at the stars before I went to sleep. I slept the best sleep I've had all year- save for an unfortunate incident at five this morning when Malfoy came banging on the door." The other four laughed at the thought. "Really, it was undignified. I think he was at it the entire two and a half hours that he was up, because he was slightly hoarse when I walked out."

"Maybe he was just in awe at your looks." Will teased. "How often can we expect such stunning looks on your part, Mione?"

"As many times as it takes to get my point across." Hermione said, lightly, waving the matter aside. "He picked the wrong girl to mess with if he wanted me to actually give in to him. Anyway!" She stood up and picked up her bag. "Come on, time for History of Magic." It was murder, having History of Magic at eight o'clock in the morning, but as the younger years were more suseptible to boredom- and sleeping in classes- the seventh years got the burden...at least, that was the excuse the teachers used.

"Congradulations..." Professor Stryke said later in the day before she brought up the chalk-boards full of notes. "You are on your last official day of note taking." She smiled a minute, indulgent smile while the entire class cheered and screamed their delight. "**_HOWEVER_**!" The silence was absolute. "Now comes the hard part." Her eyes moved to Pansy Parkinson. "It will test your will." She met Draco Malfoy's eyes. "It will test your courage." She met the eyes of Neville Longbottom. "It will test your magical skills." Her eyes moved to Ron. "It will test your patience." Her eyes moved to Hermione. "And it will test what you believe, in your very essense, magic is."

"Using the notes that you have gathered over the past two weeks, you will be learning the very basis of magic as it is known..." Her eyes continued to roam the class, slowly. "Before wands were waved, before words were placed to spells, before magic even had a true name...wandless magic was there." She stood up. "And when I am through with you, I assure you, you will be **_begging_** the bell to ring to signal the end of the day. You will be **_begging_** it to be a day with potions first thing rather than Defense last thing. This will be the **_single hardest class_** that you have all year for one reason: Your knowledge of magic as it has been ground into you for the last seven years will have to be rewritten." The class shuddered together at the gravity of her words. "However..." She said, softly. "It will also, likely, be the single most rewarding. Knowing that you have set out to learn a type of magic that the majority of witches and wizards in your world cannot successfully perform- that you have actually managed to learn it successfully...that will be your reward."

She looked out over the class for a few more moments before, unexpectedly, she flicked a wrist. "But first, you write." And the eight boards worth of notes to be taken that day appeared around the classroom, followed by the simultaneous groans of her best students...the ones she'd made eye-contact with...as they pulled out their Quick Quotes Quills and got to work. Her back to the class, Raven let the wicked grin that she'd been holding back since the beginning of the class hour break out on her lips as she walked up the stairs to her office. Severus had been peering out, an oddly amused smirk on his face, and he stepped back when she came through the door to continue their meeting.

"Are all of these notes necessary, Raven?" He asked, arching one eyebrow.

"Absolutely not." She said, airily. "However, I find that the note-taking intimidates the students enough that they don't do anything that'll blow themselves up in my class." She chuckled.

"Is that a hazard where you're from?" He asked.

She looked at him in amusement. "It doesn't happen often, but it **_does_** happen. My two best students blew up a group of bullies when they were eight for picking on the two of them. It took some rapid work on the parts of Owl and I to undo the damage and ensure that there was no psychological damage to the bullies." She shook her head, laughing at the memory. "Titian and Teddy are both very volatile. They hated each other for all of a week before they made friends." Sighing, she sat down.

"You miss it." Severus said, softly.

"Wouldn't you?" She asked, looking at him.

"Yes..." He said, softly. "I suppose I would." He stood. "So, we're in agreement, then?"

"Indeed!" She said, eyes sparkling in a most frightening way. "I will cover your Seventh Year Potions Class next week while you are on...business...when the other teachers cannot."

"I almost pity my Seventh Years." Severus said, dryly, at the look in her eyes. "I'll get my lesson plans to you Sunday night before I leave." He grabbed a bit of floo powder from her hearth and tossed it into the fireplace, stepping in. "Potions Office"

Raven shook her head and walked back out into her classroom to find the class hard at work, too fearful to goof off...there had been a particularly nasty incident on their second day of class when Crabbe and Goyle had started fooling around. Raven had been sitting at her desk at the head of the room and she hadn't even looked up.

_"Misters Crabbe and Goyle, kindly sit down and let those of the class competent enough to know an A+ from an F- work." They had ignored her, beginning a wrestling match that they thought was all fun. "Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, this is your last warning." Her voice had gone from mild to attentive. Still, they had ignored her._

_"Have it your own way." She had shrugged and the both of them had flown apart and into their desks, finding themselves writing quantum physics notes, over and over again in a looping, flowing script that soon had their hands cramping during the whole remainder of the two hours worth of class. Too fearful to look up, or even glance at the two men, the class had abandoned their Quick Quotes Quills and begun writing notes down just as fast and as legibly as they could..._

_Crabbe and Goyle had had to use their detention time to make up the notes that they'd missed in class._

When the bell finally rang, Raven watched the lot of them leave, running from the room in fear. She shook her head and hummed softly to herself as she waved a hand, making the chalkboards disappear and the room straighten itself up on its own. She then sighed and picked up the latest missive from the ministry. Obviously the one that she'd sent back, packed in a box with panther dung, hadn't gotten the point across. Nor had the one that had burst into flame when she'd sent it back. Nor had the howler. Indeed, it seemed Fudge was going to be visiting her that very evening.

Just great.

That night, Hermione and Malfoy were walking down the hallways patrolling- she had long since exchanged the Stiletto heels for more sensible sneakers and the suit for short shorts and a tank top- when they entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts hallway and all hell broke loose.

"The marriage law, as you know, Miss Stryke, has passed. Anyone sixteen and over must abide by it." Hermione and Malfoy exchanged looks of horror before creeping closer to better hear. "And you, my lady, are eligible."

"That's **_LADY_** Stryke to you Fudge, you asshole!"

"Minister!" He sniffed hautily.

"**_FUDGE_**" She sneered in his face. "I will not abide by these laws! I'm telling you, I have Diplomatic Immunity!"

"So long as you follow our laws, you have Diplomatic Immunity, you mean!" Fudge sneered back.

She'd had enough. "YOU DARE!" She roared, her eyes glowing black...the entire classroom and corridor outside of the open door glowing with the terrible light. Fude was flung backwards out of the door of the classroom and into the wall on the other side of the corridor by the sheer power revolving around the tall woman standing inside. "YOUR LAWS DO NOT CONCERN ME, FOOL! I AM THE MOTHER OF THE BLOOD! I DO AS I PLEASE **_WHEN I PLEASE_** AND IT'S NOT FOR YOU TO SAY OTHERWISE! I RULE FOUR REALMS, INCLUDING MUCH OF YOUR OWN, AND NEITHER I NOR MY STUDENTS WILL ABIDE BY YOUR RULES! SO BE. GONE!" With that, the door slammed shut and Hermione and Malfoy were left staring in shock at Fudge, who hurriedly put his hat on and ran past them, never seeing them in his fright.

"And we were afraid of her for making us take a few notes?" Hermione whispered.

"She did all of that without her wand!" Malfoy said, stunned.

"Wait a second...**_the marriage law_**!"

"Oh no...if what we just heard is any indication, then it passed!"

"We need to call an Emergency Prefect Meeting. It's Friday, we can survive the late night." Hermione said, fighting hysterics.

"Agreed." Malfoy said, nodding curtly.

"Common room? One hour?"

"We can make it thirty minutes if we split up and finish patrolling on our own, then go get everyone else." He said, quickly.

"Right." She turned and ran down one corridor as he ran down the other.

**Thirty Minutes Later**

"We called this prefect meeting." Hermione said, loudly, to get everyone's attentions. "To discuss something that The Head Boy- Malfoy- and The Head Girl- Myself- saw tonight while patrolling the Defense corridor...as well as a simpler, easier way to call Emergency Prefect Meetings such as this one." When she and Malfoy had met, gasping for breath and practically blue in the face, back at the common room to get their things before coming down to the meeting room, they'd agreed to add this to their agenda.

"Dude, can we get this over with and go back to sleep?" One of the Slytherins asked, angrily. Hermione fastened her dark eyes on him.

"Mr...Shry, is it?" Hermione said, lightly. "Sure. You can go right on to sleep. You're a sixth year, aren't you?" He nodded. "You're sixteen?" Another nod. "Well, then, when your father sends out petitions for you for a wife, don't come running to us, we won't help you. Good night." As she had planned, the entire room went eerily silent at her words.

"Petitions for a wife? That's illegal."

"No, Mr. Shry, it is not." Hermione said, glancing at Malfoy.

The Head Boy stepped forward with the pensieve that they'd created for occasions such as this and he chanted a spell above it. The entirety of the prefect staff suddenly found themselves in the corridor listening to The Minister of Magic argue with their Defense Professor. When the memory had run out, the prefects found themselves back in their meeting room.

"OH MY GOD!" Someone shrieked. Hermione thought it was Padma Patil. "THEY'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO FORCE US TO MARRY?"

It was as if someone had dropped a bomb in the midst of the meeting room...everyone began talking at once, disbelieve and horror plainly evident on their features. Hermione sighed and looked up at Malfoy, tears glittering in her own eyes, before she took a deep breath, shoved the tears aside, and screamed at the top of her lungs. "**_SILENCE!_**" The effect was immediate and absolute. Save for the sobs of the girls, the room was deadly silent. "We have called this meeting." Hermione continued. "To discuss a course of action. As all Muggle Borns will be affected, I believe it would be to the benefit of all if we got all mugglborns into a marriage that will protect them." She said, calmly. Malfoy looked at her, hiding his shock at her steel backbone. He hadn't known she'd had it in her.

"Can we go, then?" Pansy Parkinson asked. "Those of us who are Pureblood, I mean..."

Hermione sighed and rubbed her temples. "I wish you could, Pansy...I really, truly do. However, this affects the Purebloods as well. Especially those of you with..." She paused, glanced at Malfoy while searching for a word. "Questionable backgrounds." Sighing, she shook her head. "I'm sorry to have to say this, but this is the time that we must address it. Voldemort will want all of his followers and their children to marry Mudbloods." She said this with a self deprecating look that stunned even Harry and Ron, "So that he may easier eliminate them."

"That won't happen!" Someone said. "The purebloods will be under oath to protect their spouses!"

"Unfortunately..." Hermione said, softly, "Accidents happen." By now, Malfoy was staring at her in open shock. He'd known she was smart...but that she was **_THIS_** insightful? Everything she'd just pointed out was right to a T. A silent graced the room at her words, and she sighed before lifting her head. "So...that leaves us with the more powerful pure blooded lines without the more questionable backgrounds. The stronger Muggleborns can go to the slightly more questionable backgrounded purebloods, but we must protect those who may not be able to protect themselves."

"Why should we?" A Slytherin sneered.

"Because, Mr. Lesse, that is what we do." Malfoy said, icily. "The strong must always protect the weak, for we never know when we will need them to protect us. Hermione is right." He used her name for the sake of Unity. Not for the Campaign, but because they needed to show a United front against this war, to show that it would not beat them.

"What if we did what Professor Stryke did?" Lavender Brown asked, thoughtfully. "What if we just tore up the missives and sent them back?"

"Professor Stryke, from what I understand, has a sort of Diplomatic Immunity. Fudge can't touch her." Padma Patil said. "They could actually break our wands if we disagreed."

"They wouldn't!" One of the prefects gasped.

"Wrong." Draco said, softly. "It's one of the consequences that was written down in fine print in the actual law itself. If the Muggle Borns don't marry, their wands are broken."

"I don't know about you." Hermione said. "But I'm just about to get **_OUT_** of school. There's no way I'm going to go back to the muggle world and suffer through seven or eight more years of it. Which leaves getting married as our only option."

"At least we'll get to choose who we marry..." A girl in the front said. She was wearing a Hufflepuff Badge.

"It's an illusion." Hermione said, sadly. "The ministry gets the first choice...and they send the contracts to us to look over and choose from. It's first come first serve. I'll get a list tomorrow of all of the eligible Muggle Borns in the school and present it to you tomorrow. It would be nice if you applied for more than one...each of you, so that they'd have a fairly good chance of getting the contracts. Also, your parents must draw up the contract and send it in...so owl them as soon as you get the names. I don't know when the petitions will start being delivered...but I'd like to have all of the Muggle Borns lined up for a protective suitor before they do."

"Hermione's right...again." Malfoy said, softly. "We'll need all of the weaker- outside of this room, use the words 'less capable of defending themselves'- muggleborns safely tucked away in the oldest families...the ones Voldemort respects. Does anyone have any objections to this?" When nobody answered, Hermione smiled weakly.

"That's settled, then. I'm sorry, you all, to spring this on you like this. Had Draco and I any indication before tonight that the law was going to be passed, we'd have given you more time to prepare. Anyways..." She said in that brisk way of hers. "Now on to the second order of business. We simply cannot run all about creation trying to get ahold of the lot of you when we need to call an emergency prefect meeting. Draco and I were discussing it on the way down from our Common Room, and we decided that this is the quickest way." She held up a small box of conjured necklaces.

"They are all exact replicas of your prefect badges, save for the fact that they are on chains." Malfoy said, holding his up. "You will not notice them, such is their magic, until such time as Hermione or I call an Emergency Meeting. So...come up here and get your assigned necklace, and then we can all adjourn and get some sleep, eh?" He grinned at them. The prefects filed up, slowly, when their names were called and got their necklaces, putting them on. When the last necklace was gone, Hermione closed the box with a little snap.

"Right then." She said. "We will adjourn until noon tomorrow. Lunch will be served here. See you then." She said. The prefects nodded and left, each house grouping up and heading for their common rooms...leaving Draco and Hermione to themselves.

"Well...that went rather well." Hermione said, tiredly.

"Better than it might have." He agreed, sighing and locking up the meeting room before they began walking towards their own common room. "They didn't seem too horribly off."

"No...but in their minds, this could still be a joke. Cold, hard reality will set in when they recieve the first of the petitions...or letters from their parents." Hermione said, sighing.

"I suppose we'll have to call several more meetings in the future to be able to get this whole thing settled in everyone's minds." Draco agreed.

"I've a feeling that we're going to have to address the entire school before long." Hermione muttered.

"Well it's about time." Natasha snapped when she saw them. "What, do you think I have nothing better to do than wait up for you?"

"Sphinx." Hermione said, ignoring the portrait, who was still grouching as she slid sideways along the wall. Hermione turned her key and sighed, walking off to her room. "Night Draco."

"Night Hermione." He murmured as he went into his own room after locking up.

Two days later, Draco woke up and stretched with a large yawn, smiling to himself as he realized that it was Sunday. Climbing out of bed, he grabbed a pair of clothes for the day and climbed the stairs to the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind him before a cold voice came at his back. "Hello, Draco."


	6. Chapter 5: Enter the Marriage Petitions

**Disclaimer: _See Prologue!_**

_**Thank you to all of my readers, I really hope you like this...it's a particularly long chapter that almost put the update on Coyote Ugly on hold. Do not fret, though! Coyote Ugly's update is up and running! Even though I left my disc at school for the entire weekend. Bad Allison...no horseback riding.**_

_**If I make a few mentions to horses in my next few updates, it's because my lovely baby, Fawn, is expecting a foal any day now. As in, she was Due on the Seventh and it's now the Ninth.**_

_**A special thanks to:**_

_**Forever-a-Wanderer- I'm sorry I can't get Raven in there as much as you'd like. She's a favorite of mine, too. I'll do my best to get the story of Raven and her whole line posted, but you'll have to be patient. I'm working on three stories now. Two that I'm posting on regularly and one that I'm going to post all at once.**_

_**Silvestar- Yes, well, it stands to reason that she's changed...after all, she's cussing at Draco regularly in a raised voice. Not going to change much, is it? As for Draco's show of emotion- he's seventeen. Seventeen year olds slip...I know that from experience. And I'm not sure what you mean on the last part. The older families hit first? No...the law is that purebloods must marry muggleborns, more or less...or second generation witches- witches that have only been pure for a generation. Or even Half-Bloods. Diversitizing bloodlines and all of that. The plan is, in the long run, for Voldemort's followers to present their spouses as sacrifices before they get their marks...to rid the world of as many mudbloods as possible.**_

_**Caliko- Lol! I know how that goes. Lucky Me, I haven't had to deal with a hubby for a while...though I do miss having one sometimes.**_

_**WiccaWitch- As I said in an earlier chapter...this was something I put together from long years of reading the fics of other people on the site. It's like a collage of ideas that I've read and put together from my own imagination...other fics, RPGs that I've participated in, that sort of thing.**_

_**Serlene- I'm glad you like it. They do tend to scream quite a lot, don't they? Well, that'll start getting better...I promise.**_

_**Sesshomaru-is-my-master- Glad you love it, as always...it's always nice not to have to explain my motives in long, drawn-out answers to reviews. Don't get me wrong guys, I love answering your reviews, and it's fun...it just tends to be a bit time consuming.**_

**Chapter 5**

Hermione climbed out of bed and yawned, stretching. It was eight in the morning, so she fully expected Malfoy to be out of the bathroom by then. They had argued long and heatedly the morning before, before they came to a sort of compromise. He would be out of the bathroom before she got up, and he could do whatever else he needed to do as soon as she got back out, which was shortly after she dressed on most mornings. Since Malfoy woke up at around Seven on the weekends, Hermione expected him to honor the agreement.

When the door was locked, she cursed under her breath before shouting. "MALFOY!"

Draco spun away from his father and muttered 'Silencio' at the door.

"IF YOU'RE NOT OUT OF THERE IN TEN MINUTES I'M GOING TO BUST IN!" Hermione shouted, storming back downstairs. They had conned Natasha into adding a Kitchen the day before so that they didn't have to travel to the Great Hall for meals- they had found out that the volatile painting was in charge of what was or wasn't in the rooms that she warded. Hermione grabbed a couple of slices of bread and popped them into the toaster. When they came out, she put grape jelly on her toast and began eating and thinking. By the time she was done, she'd given Malfoy nearly an hour, so she grabbed her things and climbed the stairs. As she took a deep breath to yell a warning, the silencio spell wore off and she heard a dark voice.

"Crucio!" Screams filled the air, torn from Draco's throat violently.

Hermione stared at the door in horror, dropping her clothes. Taking a deep breath and preparing herself, she lifted her wand. "BOMBARDO!" The door shattered inwards and the men inside looked up, raising their own wands. "Expelliarmus! Accio Wands!" Those who had lost their wands when she'd cried the disarming spell cried out. "STUPEFY!" She shouted, pointing her wand. "Accio Wand! Petrificus Totalus! Accio Wand!" When all of the Death Eaters had fallen, Hermione glared at them all, her eyes picking out a familiar blond...not the one at her feet. "Mobilicorpus!" One by one, the bodies rose upwards. "VANICIMO!" They all disappeared and she sighed, walking over and kneeling beside Draco.

"You okay?" She asked, softly.

"I'm FINE!" He snarled, weakly shoving at her. She rolled her eyes.

"Will you stop?" She whispered several spells, holding him down gently. "Well...there doesn't seem to be any lasting damage. I suggest you go take a long nap, though. When you wake up you'll be sore, so...soak in the tub and if you'd like I can get you a potion to help."

"How did they get in here?" He looked around, as if he were lost. "We're supposed to be protected."

"Oh great. Now you're going into shock." Hermione muttered. "Come on..." She hoisted him upwards until he was standing, leaning on her fairly heavily, but standing. Helping him down the stairs to his room, she helped him into his luxurious bed, covering him up and settling him into bed before she hurried off once more. "NATASHA!" She shouted. The woman appeared almost immediately in her Victorian Portrait, scowl in place. "Could you possibly go find Professor Raven Stryke?"

"No."

"Natasha, one of your wards has been attacked by a band of no less than five death eaters. I could always tell Professor Dumbledore that you're losing your touch..."

"I'm going, I'm going! Kids these days...always so pushy..." Natasha muttered as she disappeared from her frame.

Hermione shook her head. "I've been spending too much time around Slytherins." She paced beside the doorway until Natasha reappeared in her Victorian Painting.

"She's here." The portrait sniffed hautily.

"Stop being such a prick, Natasha." Hermione said, unlocking and opening the door. The painting slid to the side to reveal a bemused-looking Professor Stryke.

"Miss Granger. Your...lovely...portrait said you needed me?"

"Yes Professor. Come in." Hermione stepped aside, closing and locking the door as soon as Raven was inside. "I called you because I didn't want Professor Dumbledore any more worried than he already is about the war...someone broke in this morning and beat up the Head Boy, Draco Malfoy."

"I see...where is he now?"

"Sleeping. He went into shock shortly after the Death- I mean, the people- left."

Raven gave her an appraising look before swooping into the left-hand room like she owned it. Her eyes darted over Malfoy and one hand lifted, a soft glow coming from her eyes as the bruises slowly faded from Draco's pale form. The Defense Professor then turned back to Hermione. "Where did the attack take place?"

"In the bathroom...up the stairs." Hermione led the way up with the professor close behind her. When Hermione reached what was left of the door, she stepped aside and Raven swooped in, circling the bathroom. Once, twice, thrice she circled, finally stopping in the center and holding up her hands, concentrating. Her eyes suddenly began to glow black and the room was engulfed in that horrible, horrible light before it all disappeared and the professor walked back to Hermione.

"You should be safe from the same type of attack a second time." Raven said. "Just in case, however, I will be sending Ian Stryke and Will Kern up with a portrait for you to hang on the entrance of the bathroom as well as a smaller portrait for the downstairs area. They will ward the entire tower and notify me if anything like this happens again."

"Thank you, Professor." Hermione said as she walked the professor to the door.

"I take the safety of my students seriously, Hermione. It pisses me off that anyone would compromise that safety." She assured. "I'll see you tomorrow in class."

"Bye..." Hermione said, softly, watching the professor sweep out of the room.

Later, she glanced up from her book in the sitting room to see Malfoy standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking up with a sort of pain on his face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" He said, glaring at her before walking up the stairs. Halfway up, she watched him hesitate and glance back...as if to make sure she was still there.

"Malfoy, do you want me to check the bathroom for death eaters?" Hermione arched an eyebrow.

"No!" He said, shortly, storming the rest of the way up the stairs. He stopped before the door- Hermione had repaired and replaced it when Professor Stryke had gone- and stared at it for several moments before turning and walking back down the stairs. He stopped beside the sofa, fidgeting, and muttered something quickly.

"What was that?" She asked, arching an eyebrow and looking back up from her book.

"I said...couldyoupleasecheckthebathroom?"

"I can't understand a word you're saying." She sighed as realization hit and her brain sorted out the meanings of the words. "You want me to check the bathroom?"

"Please."

"Good lord, you could have just said yes when I asked earlier." Hermione put her marker in her book, picked up her wand, and walked up the stairs, opening the door to the bathroom and walking in, glancing around half-heartedly before walking back down the stairs. "All clear. Besides, Professor Stryke was in here earlier and she sealed it off. It's quite safe."

He looked at her for a moment before walking past her and up the stairs into the bathroom. Hermione listened carefully, but she didn't hear it lock, so she snorted softly and went back to her book. When Draco came back out, he was holding his cloak...and he walked right past her without a word and out. Twenty minutes later, he was back with Pansy Parkinson wrapped around him.

"Don't forget to use protection." Hermione said mildly as she put her book away and picked up her cloak and key, walking to the door.

"Stupid Mudblood...mind your own business like you should have this morning." Malfoy snapped.

"So sorry for actually caring about what happened to you. It won't happen again." She said, coldly. Before she could leave, an owl swooped down the stairs from the bathroom and landed, extending a leg to her. She took the rather thick packet from him and groaned in despair. _Marriage Petitions..._ She sighed and undid her cloak, walking into her room and closing and locking the door, lighting a lamp to begin reviewing the contracts. Several, she disgarded immediately. They were of younger, weaker years than herself and she knew that they would only be in danger if she were to marry them...being Harry's best friend as she was. On that thought, she discarded most of the ones from her own grade as well, as they were not known deatheaters and marrying them would put them in danger. Besides, she wanted the stronger purebloods of her year to marry the weaker muggle borns to protect them from Voldemort.

That left her with...Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zambini, Gregory Goyle Junior, Avery Nott, Marcus Flint, Vincent Crabbe Senior, Rabastian Lestrange, Antonin Dolohov, and Severus Snape.

"Great!" She raged out loud to herself, pacing the room, ignoring the list. "Nine possible matches...of which five are deatheaters, three are future death eaters, and one's my bloody **_TEACHER_**! I'm so screwed..." She sat down and set the contracts from the current Death Eaters aside with looks of loathing. Goyle's contract went soon after, followed by Zambini's. She set the pile of disgards inside of her desk and began carefully reading the remaining two contracts as she walked out of her room to sit on one of the couches in the sitting room..

"Hmm...That's interesting... 'From Sylvester Snape on behalf of my son Severus.' I didn't know Professor Snape's father was still alive..." Hermione said.

"Say what?" She turned as Draco walked into the room with Pansy, moving to the kitchen to get something to eat.

"Oh, I'm just narrowing down my choices on this damned marriage law. I'm down to two." She said, never taking her eyes off of the paper. "WHAT? CHILDREN BY THE FIRST YEAR! NOT ABLE TO WORK! OH **_HELL_** NO!" She threw the heavy stack of papers- the contract was five pages long- across the room in disgust. Draco watched with amusement as Pansy just arched an eyebrow and spread cream cheese on a bagel. "That just leaves...this one." She snatched up the final contract...considerably shorter in length. She skimmed it, murmuring to herself. "From...on behalf of..." Draco and Pansy both sat down eating as they listened, waiting for a chance to make fun of her. "Heir by your twenty fifth birthday...well, I suppose that's reasonable. At least it's not in the first year...Finish school, work part time only..." She looked up. "Malfoy, your father drives a hard bargain. We're going to have to discuss this part-time only thing...I'm not going to give up the money I could make working just to clean house for you. Maybe after the kids, but before?" She looked back down, ignoring Draco as he choked on the bagel which was suddenly lodged in his throat.

"SAY **_WHAT!_**" He yelped.

"Well, you don't really expect me to only work part time, do you?" She asked, mistaking his meaning.

"No, no, no...I mean...what? Me!" He stared at her.

She sighed and began to hand him the contract when another owl swooped in. "Oh for heavens sake! Who is it this time!" She snapped, fed up with reviewing contracts. It didn't go to her, however, it went to Malfoy. He took the letter and read it, turning pale, and then green, and then pale, and then red, and then pale, and then purple. He stayed at purple for several long moments before he looked at Pansy, fury making him clench his fist around the parchment.

"Did you know about this?" He asked with careful control.

"Well, I...um...what are you going to do, Mudblood?" She changed the subject quickly.

"PANSY!" Draco shouted. "**_DID YOU KNOW THAT MY FATHER WAS PETITIONING FOR HER HAND ON MY BEHALF!"_**

"Um...Yes?" Pansy cowered.

"**_AND YOU COULDN'T HAVE BOTHERED TO, OH I DON'T KNOW, INFORM ME ABOUT IT?"_**

"Malfoy, calm down...she couldn't have stopped it either way. Neither could you." Hermione said. He whirled on her, and she cut him off before he could speak. "It's true. If your father was determined to get me under a Malfoy's thumb, then he would have. Hell...of the contracts that I could even begun to consider, five are deatheaters, three are future death eaters, and one is Professor Snape."

"That's all of the contracts that you've gotten? What about your little 'Save the Mudbloods' work?" Pansy asked.

"I want all of the stronger light-side purebloods to marry to the Muggle Borns that can't handle themselves." Hermione said with a sigh, going back to her reading of the contract."Blah Blah Blah...ooh, I've always wanted to go to France. Wedding Gift, eh? Why Thank you, Draco..." She said mildly. Draco sputtered and snatched the paper from her hands.

"They're giving us the **_French Manor_** for a wedding gift!" He yelped.

"Actually." Hermione snatched the contract back. "_You're_ giving it to _me_ as a wedding gift." She skimmed down until she found her place and continued reading. "If I decide to sign. Ooh...French Maids. No House Elves." She arched an eyebrow, looking at Draco. "Your father is **_really_** trying to buy my hand for you."

"I need to get drunk." Draco groaned softly.

"Later." Hermione told him. "Hell, I'll even join you. Hmm...a blood bond, wizard marriage- well, can't say I didn't expect that...blah blah blah...A lot of this is bullshit babble worded to make me want to get into your pants." Hermione informed Draco, matter-of-factly.

"What does it say?" Pansy perked up immediately.

"That he's got a twelve-inch dick that's no less than two inches in diameter."

"All Bullshit." Pansy said airily, waving her hand in the air in a gesture of dismissal. "It's only about seven inches and maybe an inch and a half in diameter. Lucius never was good with numbers."

Draco groaned again and hurried to his room to break into his stash of firewhiskey.

"Well, I'll owl Lucius tonight about changing that one part of the contract. If he agrees and sends a new copy, I'll sign it...after I read it over." Hermione said, digging in the desk placed in the corner of the sitting room and beginning to pen a draft of the revised contract. When she was finished, she sanded the ink to dry it, blew the excess off, and whistled for her owl, Riddler. He came quickly, sticking out one leg to allow her to tie the letter to it. "Lucius Malfoy, Riddler...and don't wait for a reply...he can use his own owl...arrogant Prick." She said.

"Night Drakey!" Pansy called into Draco's bedroom. Her only answer was a hiccup from the completely trashed Draco. "Night Granger."

"See you in class, Parkinson." Hermione replied, moving off to her bedroom.

It was obvious, the next afternoon, that their Defense teacher was in an exceedingly bad mood. She stared at the class icily. "Today, we will be working on basic ways to control the energy needed to do wandless magic. You will partner up with your Unity Campaign partners and practice using imagery to manipulate your energy. Depending on each person, the manipulation of said-energy will differ as it suits you." She was interrupted as an owl flew in the open window and to Hermione, bearing an offical Ministry Seal. Professor Stryke's lips thinned and turned white as she ignored the owl with some difficulty and continued, ignoring Hermione as she slid the marriage contract into a folder in her book bag. "Some of you will visualize fire...some water, etc. Practice this until the end of the hour. I expect a two-page report on your findings...what your energy manifests as, etcetera." She turned and stormed into her office, the door slamming so hard that a brick fell out of the wall.

Hermione waited until she was gone before taking out the Marriage Contract and reviewing it. With a sigh, she looked up at Draco, almost sadly. He had never seen her so lifeless, and it almost frightened him. Almost. She dipped her quill in the ink and held it over the paper, hesitating and looking away, towards Harry and Ron. They were both looking at her, ignoring their partners at the look on her face. Will looked over as well, and suddenly the boys knew. Harry and Ron cursed themselves for forgetting that she was a Muggle Born...but she was so good at magic that they forgot, sometimes...

Tears gathered in Hermione's eyes as she turned and signed on the dotted line, handing the contract to Draco, who reviewed it quickly and signed it neatly under her signature. As soon as both signatures were dry, the contract disappeared with a pop.


	7. Chapter 6: Enter the Unity of Potions

**Disclaimer: See Prologue**

_**Thank you all for your reviews! You guys are so awesome, despite the laziness of me- I'm afraid I don't want to take the time at this point to list you all. I love you all, though!**_

_**Here is the much anticipated, very long next chapter! I was hit with a rather brilliant idea as I was typing this. It goes a little off course, but I feel it works. I also apologize for taking so long with this chapter. My story, Coyote Ugly, is nearing its finish and I have another story that is going to go up when it is done that I'm also working on. This one has been on the back burner for a while and I think it finally paid off...as you can see.**_

_**Kisses!**_

_**Allison**_

**Chapter 6**

"I refuse to have a muggle wedding! It'll be too expensive!"

"Too bad! I've already got it planned, approved by your mother, and ordered!"

"Damn it, Granger!"

"Go ahead! Hit me! DO IT! SEE IF YOU'RE MAN ENOUGH!" There was a silence. "That's what I thought!"

"And you had damned well better show up for the muggle ceremony AS WELL AS the wizarding ceremony, Draco Alexander Malfoy, or so help me you'll be paying for both ceremonies twice!"

"What on earth are you talking about?"

"The muggle ceremony is planned so that it's BEFORE the wizarding ceremony! If you don't show up to my muggle ceremony, I won't show up to **_your_** wizard ceremony!"

"WHAT!"

"That's what you get for making **_ME_** plan the wedding **_BY MYSELF_**!"

"LIKE I REALLY WANT TO MARRY YOU, MUDBLOOD!"

"WELL IT'S NOT LIKE I HAVE MUCH CHOICE IN THE MATTER EITHER, IS IT, MALFOY!"

Conversations like this one rang throughout Hogwarts on a fairly regular basis in the three weeks since the teenagers had signed the contract. Even the ever-twinkly Albus Dumbledore was beginning to sigh in frustration as Hermione Granger-soon-to-be-Malfoy and her intended, Draco, battled it out over every single detail. Living arrangements, wedding plans, schooling plans...even when they would have their kids. Hogwarts had become their battlefield, and the entirity of its occupants were the casualties. Even Peeves had the sense not to mess with either one after they stormed away from their latest fight. And the teachers? If it had been bad before, it was Hell in Hogwarts now.

As the big day drew nearer, Pansy, Hermione, and Ginny began spending obscene ammounts of time together, talking. Draco, Harry, and Ron would glare at the closed door to Hermione's room warily, looking at each other in mild disgust. For Hermione, Harry and Ron had called a truce with Draco. To avoid being socked at the top of his fiancee's strength, Draco had agreed. That didn't mean, however, that they enjoyed each others' presence. Far from it. All three men paced outside of Hermione's door...Draco because being a courteous host was something that had been drilled into him from birth and Harry and Ron because they weren't sure they wanted to leave Hermione and Ginny alone with the two Slytherins.

"I don't think I can do this..." Hermione said to Pansy and Ginny after one particularly nasty row with Malfoy. "We can't even **_begin_** to get along while we're only sharing a bathroom and a kitchen! What'll happen when we have to share a bedroom, too?"

"Why don't you ask Natasha if she'll leave your room up just in case you guys get in a fight...that way you can escape each other and cool down." Pansy suggested.

"No good..." Hermione shook her head. "It was in the contract- we MUST share a room at all times."

"What does Lucius want you to do, kill each other?" Ginny asked. "I can't believe Dumbledore would go for that..."

"I think you underestimate the ammount of Slytherin cunning that our dear Headmaster holds within him." Hermione snorted, falling back on her bed with a sigh. "He'll only see it as the perfect opportunity for his blasted Unity Campaign." She shook her head and sighed. "Oh bleeding well. At least I got Lucius to pledge his protection to my entire muggle family." She said.

"Say what!" Pansy asked.

"It was in the part of the contract that I sent to him editing it. It was still there when I double-checked it before signing it and Draco made mention of it, too...so I know it wasn't a trick." Hermione said as she sighed and got out her manicure set, beginning to work on Pansy's hands. The pureblooded girls had never had one before...and they'd fallen in love with them.

**SCENEBREAKSCENEBREAKSCENEBREAK**

Draco paced. "I can't believe she wants to get married on new year's eve." He muttered. "Does she have any idea how much that's going to cost?"

"It's always been her favorite holiday." Ron shrugged. "She always talked about spending New Year's Eve at her paternal grandmother's house." He sighed and picked up his potions essay, reading over it again. "Oi...I'll never get this polished enough that SNAPE will want to accept it." He sighed and put it back down, looking up at Harry. Harry just shrugged and finished his last sentence before sprinkling sand over his own essay to dry the ink.

"Malfoy...Hermione is rarely predictable." He said as he poured the extra sand back into its container. "And I'm finding with Kayla that it's best just to smile and nod when a woman approaches you with a plan...less chance of a fight that way." He and the sixth year Gryffindor had been dating for the past year...now that the marriage law had come out they were marrying. She was a muggleborn, so his petition had been legit. Unfortunately for poor Harry...Kayla wore the pants in the relationship.

"Whipped..." Ron murmured with a snort and Draco had to smirk in agreement.

"I am NOT whipped." Harry muttered sullenly. "No more so than Ron. I heard Melissa telling Kayla that Ron had agreed to wearing a purple tuxedo because it would match her wedding dress in THEIR muggle wedding." Draco snorted and busied himself making a snack in the small kitchen.

"You think that's funny, Malfoy?" Ron half-stood, fists balled.

"Oh not at all, Weasley." Draco said, mildly. "After all, it IS an every day occurance that you two concede to the demands of your lovely young ladies." He set out small sandwiches and tea for the visitors, taking some for himself. Suddenly, Hermione emerged from her bedroom.

"Natasha!" She called. When the woman appeared in her Victorian portrait, Hermione smiled. "Is there any way for you to set up another sitting room with a password for me?"

"Why?" Natasha looked suspicously at the teenager.

"Well...I just thought that I may need somewhere to go to cool off if Mal-Draco and I have a spat sometimes." She said.

Natasha still looked uncertain, but she said calmly. "I will talk it over with Albus." And then she was gone, back to her hallway portrait. Pansy and Ginny looked amused as they watched Draco's eyes rivet themselves to Hermione as she walked in. Exchanging glances, they headed for the door.

"I'll see you later, Mione." Ginny called. "I have an essay for McGonagall due tomorrow."

"And I have that potions essay to start." Pansy said. "See you tomorrow in classes, Hermione. Draco." She nodded. "Potter, Weasley, close your mouths...we know we're hot." She grinned at the incredulous looks from the two men, as her comment had made no sense whatsoever.

Natasha appeared, suddenly. "The Misses Watkins and Gray are here." She announced.

"That's our cue." Harry said, standing up and picking up his things. "Kayla said she wanted me to look at flowers with her before bed."

"Melissa wants me to colour-coordinate our outfits for tomorrow." Ron made a face as he picked up his own things. "Blimey you're lucky, Harry."

Hermione and Draco exchanged amused glances as they watched their visitors disappear out the door. They then realized that they were actually being friendly towards each other, stiffened, and stormed into their respective rooms.

**SCENEBREAKSCENEBREAKSCENEBREAK**

Several days later, Hermione was eating her customary toast when Draco's Eagle Owl landed before her. She glanced across the hall at Draco, who shrugged, and took the letter from the owl, who then flew over to his master with a delivery. Opening it, she read it over. Once. Twice. Thrice. Each time she confirmed her first impression of the letter, her face changed colors. From Pale to Green to Red. Standing up, she stammered out an excuse and moved swiftly towards the Slytherin table.

"You said we could have Christmas at my parents' while I broke the news to them!" Hermione snapped out the moment her fiance turned towards her.

"How the Bleeding Hell was I supposed to know that father would demand our presence at the Christmas Ball?" Draco snapped, sighing when he saw the tears lingering behind the anger and relaxing. "We'll get this sorted out, Hermione. The Christmas Ball isn't until the twenty-fifth. We could still spend Christmas Eve at your Parents' and go from there to the Manor."

Blaise and Pansy looked at each other and mouthed one word together "WHIPPED"

Draco and Hermione shot the other two simultaneously dirty looks before continuing their conversation. "But I **_was_** so hoping to...oh well, nevermind. You're right. That's the best thing to do..." Hermione said, after some consideration. "I've got to write Mum about the change in plans! If we go to the Burrow for the first two days, we can go to my house on the Twenty-Second, and from there to the Manor for the ball and another day after that for you to sleep off your hangover- don't look at me like that you know as well as I do how well you recover after a night of drinking, and I'm sure there will be plenty of that at the Ball- before we have to return to the muggle world so that your mother, my mother, Ginny, Pansy and I can finish the arrangements for the muggle ceremony." Hermione clapped her hands together in glee at these plans and rushed off.

Draco watched her with a bemused look on her face before shaking his head and going back to his oatmeal, murmuring. "Bloody Woman..." But the statement lacked venom, and Pansy and Blaise grinned even wider before standing up and hurrying off to class.

Hermione sent one of the school's barn owls off with letters for Mrs Weasley and her own mother, Annelise Granger to inform them of the slight change in plans before hurrying down to Snape's class, to find him in as foul a mood as the Defense Teacher had been. Hermione knew that he had been counting on her to be able to get him out of having to marry a stranger, but she still felt that marrying straight into the heart of one of the more infamous Death Eater families to be the best thing to do...if the stupidest.

As she sat with Draco, meekly working on the potion that they had been assigned, there was a knock on the door and Minister Fudge swept in without waiting for an answer. "Severus, I really must insist on speaking with you..." He turned to the class. "Students, this is Professor Bordon. She will be your substitute for the time being." Hermione's eyes widened as she slowly scraped ingrediants into the potion from the small cutting board, staring at Fudge before turning to look at Draco, who was equally pale.

"Severus Snape, under the decree of the new law recently passed, I'm afraid I must ask you for your wand." Tonks the Auror said. She glanced across the room and met Hermione's eyes. Hermione snapped into action, grabbing an ingrediant from a jar and muttering a spell. She stood and hurried forward.

"Before you go, Professor, I need to ask you a question about the properties of the Polyjuice Potion." She said, touching his arm and slipping the fake wand that she had just conjured up his sleeve, grasping his real wand and sliding it smoothly up her own sleeve.

"There is no time for that, Girl!" Fudge roared. "Return to your seat at once! Mr. Snape, your wand!"

Tonks met the Potions Professor's eyes as she took the "wand" firmly between both hands and snapped it smoothly in half. The rest of the class watched in horror as their Potions Professor's face turned to devastation and he slumped, following Tonks silently out of the room. In the back, Pansy let out a soft sob. Blaise put his head in his hands, and Draco's hand reached for and gripped Hermione's as if she were a lifeline. Hermione met Harry's gaze across the room from where he had a hand on Pany's back lightly, and then she turned and looked to Ron, where he and Ian Stryke were speaking quietly. They met her eyes and nodded.

Hermione smirked and, for the first time in two years, raised her hand.

"Yes Miss...er..."

"Granger, Professor. I was wondering...would you think that the heart ring of Oak or Aspen was better for this potion?" She motioned to the cauldrons steaming all around. The **_entire_** NEWTS Potions class turned to stare at her. Everyone in there knew that Aspen would melt the cauldrons and that Oak would cause an explosion...so what was she doing?

"Oh...Oak, of course..." The phony teacher stammered after a glance at Fudge. Hermione looked at Draco, who handed her the ingrediant silently. She turned and made sure Ron and Harry were ready at once and together they tossed the oak into their cauldrons. As Hermione was in the front, center of the room and the boys were in each back corner, the chaos was complete and immediate. All three cauldrons exploded, showering the students who hadn't caught on in time to put up a shielding spell, and when they hurried off to the hospital wing, Hermione, looking much like a goddess as the glowing bits of potion fell around her but none touched her, turned to Fudge with a Snape-worthy sneer.

"It would seem, Minister, that your _substitute_ Potions Professor is as incompetent at potions as you are at being the Minister of Magic. We could teach ourselves more in one class hour than that blubbering imbecile could teach us in three years." She drawled. "Thank you but no thank you, we will keep Professor Snape."

"That is not possible, Miss Granger." Fudge sputtered, turning purple.

"Oh but I assure you, it is." Hermione said, already on her way to the class's fireplace. "There's the door." She pointed. "Feel free to help yourself out."

When he remained there, sputtering, Draco rose to his feet with his infamous smirk. "It seems that our **_dear_** Minister needs some help finding the doorway."

"Shall we?" Ron and Harry stood.

"Let's." Blaise stood as well and the four boys forcibly took the arms of both Minister and Substitute, escorting them rather roughly out the door and slamming it.

"Lock it!" Hermione warned as she took some floo powder from above the fire place. "Lock it well!" The four boys fired every locking spell that they could possibly imagine at the door, finally turning to look at Hermione as she tossed the floo powder into the fireplace.

"Professor Dumbledore!" She said, and the professor's head appeared in the fire. "Minister Fudge was just here...he's taken Professor Snape!"

"Did he leave you a substitute?"

"The substitute found herself in over her head." Draco drawled, walking up beside Hermione. "She was escorted out."

"We have the doors locked, but I don't think it will keep them long, Professor." Harry added as he walked up to Hermione's other side.

"I believe that this is Professor Stryke's planning period." Dumbledore said, gravely. "I know that she has a fireplace in her room, as well."

"Will do, Professor." Hermione said.

"Was anyone hurt?"

"They went to the Hospital Wing immediately..." Draco said. "There were only one or two."

"Good, then." Dumbledore said. "I will go and attempt to save our wayward Potions Master. Miss Granger...you know what to do."

"Yes, Professor." Hermione said. When the green flames disappeared, she turned to the class. "Right then...we're going to Professor Stryke. Harry and Ron will go first to inform her of what's happened, and Draco and I will go last to insure that everyone gets there. Fudge is sure to be right pissed about being outwitted by a group of Seventh Years, and he's not going to be happy when the locking spells on that door wear off." She said, taking the jar of floo powder off of the mantle and holding it. "One at a time, now...Harry, you go first. Professor Stryke will be in her office, I think."

"Right." Harry grabbed some powder. "Professor Stryke's Office!" And he disappeared. Ron was soon afterwards, followed by Blaise, Pansy, Ian, Will, and the rest of their class in turn. Draco paused as he was about to go through, turning to her.

"I'm glad I'm marrying a brilliant witch." He said, smirking and kissing her hard as he threw the floo powder in. "Professor Stryke's Office!"

Hermione knew that time was running out, and she took a pinch of floo powder in her hand as she looked around the room carefully to see if anyone had forgotten anything. She spotted her wand on the desk beside Draco's and she cursed, picking hers up and whispering. "Accio, wands!" Shoving the class's wands into her bag, she turned in fear as the door swung open to reveal the minister. Taking off at a run, she made for the fireplace. He moved to intercept her, and she threw the floo powder into the fireplace followed by her bag...which held all of the wands save for Professor Snape's. "PROFESSOR STRYKE'S OFFICE!" The bag disappeared with a flash as Fudge tripped her roughly and she fell. Her head came in contact with the desk and all went black.


	8. Chapter 7: Enter the Lockdown

**Disclaimer: See Prologue**

_**Thank you all for your reviews! You guys are so awesome, despite the laziness of me- I'm afraid I don't want to take the time at this point to list you all. I love you all, though!**_

_**Okay...I have a few things that need to be said in the continuation of this story and the story Coyote Ugly. Neither of my current stories will be altered to fit HBP...I'm simply too far into their plot-lines for that to work. This is, unfortunately, a slightly shorter-than-normal chapter...but I hope it at least partially satisfies those of you who wanted Raven to have a bigger, better part!**_

_**Kisses!**_

_**Allison**_

**Chapter 7**

Raven was sitting silently in her desk writing a missive to her daughter back at the Castle of the Blood, when the flames in her fireplace turned green and the Boy-Who-Lived stumbled out, followed by the rest of Severus Snape's seventh year Potions class. "Professor Stryke!" Harry Potter said, and Raven felt a twinge of alarm when the Head Boy emerged from the fireplace followed by the Head Girl's book bag...but no Head Girl. "Minister Fudge was just here! He took Professor Snape into custody! He had Tonks snap his wand for not petitioning for a muggleborn's hand!"

"He did, did he?" Raven's eyes flashed.

"Hermione! **_HERMIONE_**!" This came from Pansy Parkinson, who was searching for her new friend. "Professor...Hermione was going to come last! She's not here!"

"Fudge must have gotten through the locking spells..." Harry said, suddenly even more worried.

"I'll be back." Raven stood, her robes beginning to whip around her as if a wind was moving through the classroom. A pinch of floo powder went into the fire. "Potions Classroom 7A!" She disappeared. Emerging from the other side, she was met with the sight of a bound, unconscious Hermione Granger lying motionless at the feet of a merciless Minister Fudge, who was covered in boils from the potion that was still dripping around the classroom.

"What is the meaning of this?" Her voice was icy beyond belief.

"This girl has interfered with justice. I am taking her into custody."

"I do not think so, **_Fudge_**." Raven snarled.

"**_Minister_** Fudge!"

"**_FUDGE!_**" The man shut up, wisely. "I have tolerated your closed-minded foolishness until now. You have walked over my students, my colleagues, and you have tried to walk over me. And when you come to arrest the Potions Professor, **_in the middle of a Potions class_**, you cross a line that cannot be tolerated! Now I'm asking you once, civilly, to take your leave."

"Why you...it's a consipiracy against me! I will not!" He roared, trying to seem tough.

"**_TAKE. YOUR. LEAVE._**" She held up one hand and reached around her for the strength of the castle itself, letting it flow into her. She felt the ageless magic seep into her bones, and she knew that she had the permission of Hogwarts and its founders to banish the intruder. Her eyes had closed as she'd reached for that line of magic, and now they flew open and stared at Fudge, glowing black. Her knee-length black hair whipped around her like a black mist whipped by the wind, and she held up one hand...so very pale against the sheer, light-swallowing blackness of her aura...and unleashed the rage of Hogwarts. There was a sound much like an implosion or a jet plane's engine...and the world shifted.

Fudge wasn't sure what to make of it...one second he was standing on his own two feet facing down the Mother of the Blood...the scariest mage he had ever met...and the next he was flat on his back on the outskirts of Hogsmeade, trying desperately to fill uncooperative lungs. There was a short scream and all of the agents that he'd taken with him that he knew for a fact were loyal to him were dumped unceremoniously nearby. Tonks and Kingsley Shackbolt were standing nearby with Severus Snape between them watching in amazement.

"What do you want!" Fudge spat. "Let's go." He stood up and grabbed his bowler's cap, storming into Hogsmeade.

Back in the Potion's Classroom, Raven let Hogwarts take its strength back slowly, careful not to overbalance her own energy, and leaned down to untie her student. Hermione's eyes fluttered open and she looked quietly up into the cold face of her Defense Professor. "Let us go." Raven said, moving to the fireplace and disappearing through without waiting. Hermione double-checked the wand in her sleeve and followed, rubbing the bump on her head. When she stepped through the fireplace, the first face she saw was Draco's, and she moved to him silently. His strength was comforting, for once, and she let him grab her, pulling her against him.

"Thank you, God..." Hermione thought she heard her fiance mutter, and then Harry's voice, at normal pitch, drowned the whisper out.

"Professor...is Fudge...?"

"Fudge is gone." Raven said. "He will not be back anytime soon." She watched most of the class relax minutely and she turned to the Head Girl and Boy. "Despite the rather traumatic events of this last class, the Headmaster will wish the two of you to reassure the Student Body. You are their Heads. They will look to you. Also, there will be a panic among the upper classes. Anyone over the age of sixteen will be scared."

"We have already taken steps, Professor." Draco assured, and Hermione gathered the last of her strength and stood up straight.

"We will address the Student Body at Dinner." She said, glancing to Draco to catch his affirming nod. "There is other business that we must take care of, now." She reached for the necklace that would make the Prefect Necklaces burn, signalling a meeting. She, Draco, and the other Prefects in the class then headed off to the Meeting Room.

Raven stood silently as the last of the students left before turning to the two who remained. "Find Tyra and Maia. Meet me in my quarters in ten minutes." She moved away, and Will and Ian exchanged glances before hurrying off after her.

Raven swept into the room in her suite where her familiars, a giant panther named Ebony and the hawk/raven mixed bird named Britz, were kept. "Britz, I need you to go and get Teddy and Titian. Things have heated up here." She said, and the Rawk- as his breed was called- took flight and disappeared in thin air with a slight wavering of reality. Turning silently, the Mother of the Blood rested a hand on Ebony's great head as her four students walked in. "Report." She snapped.

"The Ravenclaws are scared." Tyra said immediately. "Their strength lies in knowledge and most of the contracts require that the Muggle Borns forfeit their rights to an education. Those like Hermione Granger are lucky...their future husbands value their brains."

"The Hufflepuffs are terrified as well." Maia said. "Their worlds have been turned upside down by this new law, and now many of them are having their freedoms ripped away. There are more muggle borns in Hufflepuff than in any other house. The Prefects' Safety Act is helping...but some of the muggleborns are still deathly frightened."

"All of the Muggleborns in Gryffindor have been spoken for." Will said, softly. "Hermione, Harry, and Ron have made sure of that. They're starting on Ravenclaw now...and Hufflepuff will be their next focus. The muggleborns just have to hold off Fudge's anger for a short while longer...and then the troubles will be over."

"The Slytherins are, for the most part, loyal to Voldemort." Ian said, softly. "Even Draco Malfoy..." He sighed and shook his head. "We will find no help from that quarter."

"The school must unite."

"We aren't enough!" Maia said, softly.

"We need Teddy and Titian." Will agreed.

"They're the only ones who have the skills to unite a school at war."

"We will lock down Hogwarts." A feminine voice from the side said. The five figures turned to watch two tall figures slip the hoods of their robes back to reveal two young adults. The female was the one that eyes were drawn to, eyes the color of the summer sky and a golden sheen of hair drifting to her waist in strands of silk. Her face was almost plain-looking, but there was an exotic, cat-like slant to her eyes that belied the plainness. On a glance, she looked benign and unintelligent. Teddy was similar in looks, though his eyes were more of an ice-blue rather than the brighter sky-blue, and his hair was less golden as much as it was sandy blonde. His face was incredibly well-defined and handsome, only the hand resting easily in the smaller hand of the woman belying emotion.

"Teddy! Titian! Welcome." Raven said.

"Headmistress." Teddy bowed at the waist formally. "It is good to see you."

"Teddy, we are not among listening ears. You may drop your formality. How is the School?" Raven asked, calmly.

"It is fine, Raven." Titian said, smiling lightly. "The students miss you."

"And you two? Have you gotten yourselves figured out yet?" Raven asked, amused.

"We have." Teddy said, looking downward slightly into Titian's eyes as they turned to him. The pair shared a secretive smile before returning their gazes to their Headmistress. "We will lock down the school. No one will notice until it is too late for them to break apart the unity that we will create."

"With Hogwarts' eyes and ears stretched outwards and nobody able to penetrate it, we will be able to promote unity without the added disadvantage of parental influences." Titian added, lips twisting upwards in a slightly wicked smile. "Teddy and I will take measures to insure that parents cannot influence their children by post..."

"Quidditch will have to become private..." Will said.

"And what about Hogsmeade? The upper classes won't agree to having that freedom taken away." Tyra added.

"We will work out the details once we've locked Hogwarts down." Raven said, calmly, warming to the plan. "This recent, blatant attack against Dumbledore's authority requires immediate and definite action."

"The Head Girl and Boy can work out a schedule. Every weekend, a few students will be allowed into Hogsmeade with the Prefects and the six of us watching them." Teddy said.

"How are we going to go about locking the school down?" Ian asked. The others fell silent. They hadn't thought of that...as Titian and Teddy felt five pairs of eyes land on them, they looked at each other and smirked, lacing their hands together. There was a surge of magic from the heart of the Castle itself and shortly afterwards something sealed around them...something hot and cold, light and dark. Something ancient and new...the Castle had closed her doors to all who wanted in. Standing in the old phone booth waiting to be carted down into the dungeons of the ministry, Severus Snape looked up in surprise, suddenly. Fudge and the Aurors stared in mixed horror and fascination as he turned translucent, slowly, and then disappeared altogether. Rubeus Hagrid had ventured into the Hog's Head for a drink...and he too turned translucent and disappeared, leaving the rest of the crowd gathered to stare in horror.

Albus Dumbledore looked up sharply inside of his office, feeling the foreign brand of magic branching out around the school, enclosing all within the grounds in her protection. Several owls froze in mid-flight bearing letters from parents. They hovered there for several long moments before they continued flying forward...though somehow they'd gotten turned around and were flying home without delivering their letters. The school governors who were visiting froze, mid step. There were small implosions of air much like the ones that had occured with Fudge's visit, and any and all visitors found themselves standing in Hogsmeade with no recollection of why they were there, exactly.

The Mother of the Blood had chosen a side.

Hogwarts was **_CLOSED_**.


	9. Chapter 8: Enter the Attraction

**Disclaimer: See Prologue**

_**I would like to thank those of you who have waited so patiently for this update. I know it has been a long time, but I'm finally settled into college and I think I'll be able to find a way from now on to juggle updates and all that. I also have a new story out called Kicking Buckets, for those of you who were requesting my Hermione/Sirius story. It'll be a bit slow updating the both of them, but I promise to do my best. Also, I'm not going to post a list of reviewers in this chapter, but starting next chapter, I will. So...if you want your name mentioned, review review review!**_

_**Yours,**_

**_Allison_**

**Chapter 8**

"We urge you all not to panic." Hermione said, her voice firm, as she looked out across the crowd. "Steps have already been taken to insure the safety of the muggleborns within the walls of Hogwarts." Draco stood beside her, their shoulders barely touching, and he nodded.

"Hogwarts has been so long divided that Minister Fudge thought to divide us further. This must not happen." He glanced to Hermione, who had taken the sonorus off of herself and was holding a whispered conversation with the strange new girl, Titian. "Rather, let us unite and use this attack against us as the excuse needed to do so."

"Also, the Hogsmeade weekend this week is cancelled. There will be a new schedule of Hogsmeade Trips to be posted here in the Great Hall tomorrow evening." Hermione added, causing Draco to look at her in surprise and a course of 'What?'s and 'No!'s to come from the gathered student body. "What has happened to Professor Snape on our own grounds cannot be excused." She stated, her voice firm. "It is clear to us that it is no longer in our best interests to remain idle in the face of this new law, hoping that the Ministry will eventually open its eyes to the devastation that it will cause and appeal it. By the time it is appealed, the majority of the population currently over the age of sixteen and under the age of seventy will have been effected."

Draco had no idea where she was going with this, but he took his cue from his fiery betrothed, taking a deep breath. "While we are taking the necessary steps towards protecting the students in our school, we must all make a sacrafice or two until those measures can be completed. And we must warn that any attempt to leave Hogwarts for Hogsmeade when it is not your turn will be met with rather extreme consequences."

"The new list of Hogsmeade weekends will be posted, as I have said, tomorrow evening." Hermione repeated. "Until then, we thank you for your cooperation. I would also like to introduce Titian Angelline and Theodore Krie. They will be assisting with the Hogsmeade visits and all that that entails. They will also be coming up with activities to allow us to unify. And now, in the words of our dear Headmaster, Tuck in!" The food appeared on the table and Hermione and Draco both took off their sonorus spells.

"You didn't tell me we were cancelling the Hogsmeade weekend this weekend!" Draco said, softly.

"I didn't know until Titian told me." She replied just as softly as they sat at the table with the Professors, serving to keep order in the school while the Headmaster and his Deputy Headmistress were holding a meeting with their Defense Professor to find out exactly what had happened with Fudge and to discuss what was being done.

"We can't discuss this with them?"

"Don't whine about it, Malfoy!" She snapped, ignoring the slight hurt look on his face...she'd been calling him Draco since the incident with Fudge. "We're going to be in Hogsmeade every single weekend supervising."

He looked at her in surprise. "Oh really. And whose bright idea was this, Granger?"

"Well, someone has to do it!" Hermione snapped. "We may as well put our prefect staff to good use! Besides, it was Professor Stryke's idea anyways. You have to admit, it has merit!"

"I have to do no such thing." He lifted his chin imperiously.

"Draco Malfoy, you are the most inFURIATING man I have ever met!" Hermione hissed.

"Well the feeling's mutual!" He snarled back in her face. Both had their fists clenched and were glaring at each other fit to kill. Ron and Harry looked up from the Gryffindor Table and gulped, looking over to meet Pansy and Blaise's eyes. Pansy held up a hand to stop them from moving, and then she settled back in her seat and watched with a smirk. Blaise looked at her in surprise for a moment before she said something. The Italian's face cleared and he snickered audibly, sitting back and picking up a piece of garlic toast, taking a bite.

Harry and Ron looked at each other before taking their cue from the Slytherins and sitting back to watch the show.

"I honestly don't believe you!" Hermione shrilled. "One minute you're clinging to me for dear life begging me not to let your favorite professor be taken away and the next you're...you're..."

"Oh! You're one to talk! Clinging to me like I'm the only person in the world you're safe around one moment and cursing me the next!" He snapped right back.

"Shove off, Malfoy!" Hermione snapped. "Who needs you?"

"Well Who needs **_you_**!" He snapped in return, spinning away from her to his left. "Excuse me, Madam Hooch? Might I switch seats with you?"

"Of course, dear boy." They switched and Hermione turned away to the professor to her right.

"Professor Snape...I'm sorry..." She said, softly. He lifted those bleary black eyes to hers.

"What am I to do now?" He asked, his voice holding a sort of hopelessness to it...and it broke Hermione's heart. Ever since he'd been returned to the castle, the professor had latched himself onto the head girl as if she were a lifeline. Indeed, even just a few minutes before, he'd tensed up when she and Draco had stood, ready to abandon his meal to accompany the young witch.

"You will live." She said, reaching into her sleeve and pulling something free, handing it to him. He stared at it, and then up at her.

"Your transfiguration skills...are beyond excellent...but..."

"Try it." Hermione said firmly. He looked at her sadly and stood up, clearly not expecting it to work as he pointed at Ron.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" The entirity of the Great Hall stared, jaws hanging open in amazement, as the Gryffindor shot skywards, screaming.

"BLOODY HELL!" Ron screamed.

None of the spectators were half as amazed, perhaps, as Severus Snape himself. He took great care to lower the redhead back into his seat carefully, but the second Ron was safe, he spun and stared at Hermione. "How...what...?"

"I transfigured a fake during your actual class. When I moved up to 'ask you a question' I switched your wand with the fake, and that was the one that Tonks broke." Hermione said, smiling. "Fudge was too busy sputtering at me to notice, and I daresay Tonks wasn't going to say a word."

The potions professor stood there for a good three minutes with his jaw moving soundlessly before he scooped up the Head Girl and hugged her with all of his might, spinning around. Setting her down once more, he looked at her. "I could kiss you for this, Hermione Granger. You are truly a remarkable young woman." He whispered, his eyes locked on hers.

Hermione laughed. "Don't get used to it, professor. None of us truly want to see the great 'bat' of the dungeons removed." She looked down at Harry pointedly. "No matter how much we may pretend."

The potions professor was quickly regaining his composure- and his control- by this time, and he nodded sternly. "I hope you don't think this gives you any excuse from homework." He said, sneer in place.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Professor Snape." Hermione smiled and sat, beginning to eat. The professor sat as well and leaned back over his food, his Snape-like demeanor truly back in place...which he proved when he levelled a hate-ridden smirk towards the boy that he'd shot to the ceiling earlier. Hermione herself finished eating silently and stood, grabbing her bookbag and walking silently out of the Great Hall.

**SCENEBREAKSCENEBREAKSCENEBREAK**

"Thirty points from Gryffindor for breathing too loudly!" The soft, sinister call was heard down the corridor.

"Oi, Hermione...you couldn't have let him wallow in despair for at least a day before you gave him back his wand?" Ron winced, watching the sobbing first year run past. "I think I rather liked the peace that it brought." The trio was walking to lunch the next day- Ron and Harry had forced Hermione and Draco to stop arguing over the list of Hogsmeade Weekends and get something to eat- and the evidence of the dark Professor's return was everywhere that they looked...especially the tallies of the House Points.

"I'm afraid he just wasn't Professor Snape without his wand, Ron." Hermione said, pausing to pat the first year on the back and whisper. "Thirty points to Gryffindor for a perfectly tidy uniform." The eleven year old had looked up at the Head Girl as if she were the savior and proceeded onwards to lunch with her head held high. Hermione had been quietly countering ninety percent of their newly restored Potions Professor's point reductions all the way down to the Great Hall, her own reasons just as ludicrous but just as hard to discount as his were.

"She's right, Ron...besides, it's not all that bad." Harry said, quietly. "He could be in _jail_ right now, after all." He looked up and caught sight of the professor in question, glaring hatefully at the trio, and he winced. "Though...he does seem to be going out of his way not to favor you right now, Hermione..."

"Nonsense. Come along." She rolled her eyes at them and led the way to the black-robed being waiting at the end of the hall in ambush for the students. Stopping before him, she smiled. "Good day, Professor." With that, and a deep nod which he returned, she continued onwards with Harry and Ron staring hopelessly at her back.

As she walked over to the Gryffindor table, Hermione felt sinister eyes on her. Stopping, she turned and glanced around quickly. Her eyes landing on the Slytherin table, she caught Draco's neutral stare, and then her eyes swept the length of the table to land on a young boy who was staring at her with hatred in his eyes...looking for all intents and purposes like he'd love nothing more than to plunge a dagger into her. Shuddering, she turned back to Draco, who was staring at her questioningly now. Nodding to him, she smiled at Pansy- who had by this time turned to see who Draco was staring at- and proceeded to the Gryffindor table to sit with Ron and Harry.

Draco watched the woman that he was becoming increasingly confused about as she walked into the Great Hall. As if sensing his gaze, she turned and chocolate eyes met gray for a few minutes before the chocolate eyes slid off down the table, freezing for a moment. Draco paused and followed her gaze to see Ryne Leil...a sixth year Slytherin whom he was certain had petitioned for Hermione's hand. His eyes narrowed for a moment before he returned his gaze to his fiancee, who nodded to him and smiled at Pansy before walking off.

Draco narrowed his eyes again and stood, walking down the Slytherin table with Blaise on his heels. "Hello, Leil." He said, conversationally.

"Malfoy." The boy in question said, nodding imperiously.

"Was there any reason in particular that you were watching **_my_** fiancee, Leil?" Draco asked, keeping his voice light as he watched the boy narrow his eyes and turn to look at him.

"I was just anticipating the Christmas Ball, Malfoy. I figured you'd be a sport and pass her around." Draco couldn't have described the feeling that rushed through him if he'd stopped and tried. All he knew was that one second Leil was smirking up at him in that superior way, and the next the younger boy was being held by his throat against the wall.

"Let's get one thing clear, **_boy_**." Draco hissed, his eyes narrowing and his voice lowering ominously. "I. Do. Not. Share. Is that understood?"

Leil gulped. "Y-yes, of course."

"Good boy." Draco shoved him aside and stormed for the door, ignoring the stares of the Slytherin table. He stopped just at the doors and paused, turning to look to the Gryffindor table for reasons that he couldn't explain to himself, spying the worried chocolate eyes trained on him. He stared at her for several long moments before he walked hurriedly to the Gryffindor table.

Hermione watched the Slytherin start towards her, glancing towards her friends. "I'll talk to you later, I'm going to go on up and keep working on that list." She said, snatching up a sandwich and hurrying to meet Draco. He stopped and stared down at her, his face unreadable. "What is it?" She asked, softly.

"Not here." He looked away from her for a moment before grabbing her hand and leading her out of the Great Hall...never stopping until they were in their dorms. When they were there, he let go of her abruptly and began pacing, muttering to himself.

"Malfoy?" He ignored her. "Malfoy...?" Growling, he still didn't seem to hear. "Draco!" That brought him up short, spinning him around to glare at her for a moment before his glare fell away. "What is it?"

He crossed the room in three strides and kissed her. Hard.


	10. Chapter 9: Enter Voldemort

**Disclaimer: See Prologue**

**A big thanks and a shoutout goes to:**

**evillizzy89 – Yeah...quite a few people hate me for that last chapter. I am, of course, incorrigible. Hehe. A jaguar can't change its spots, after all.**

**Serlene – I know it is. And yes, yes I did. Hee Hee. Glad you loved it. And Snape...well, Snape's Snape.**

**Miledy – I'm glad you like it. I'm updating as fast as I can, but college is pretty hectic.**

**Caliko – I don't know, you'll have to ask him. Snape just sits sullenly glaring at Hermione Well, I guess that answers that. Poor boy.**

**elvishchic15 – I'm glad you like it. That's always good to hear.**

**potterphilic – I'm really, really glad you like it. And no, the title is not a misspelling, I did mean Commend, as in to congratulate. The story stretches through to the end of the war, and I'm planning on making the last few chapters and the title all come together in one fell swoop.**

_**Okay, I know it's short! I know I know I know! Buuuuuut the next chapter covers the event that you've all been waiting for! Okay, so MAYBE that's an exaggeration. The next chapter...well, why should I tell you and ruin the surprise? And before you scream at me...that cliffy before will have a reason in the next chapter!**_

_**Yours,**_

**_Allison_**

**Chapter 9**

Hermione walked silently with Kayla and Melissa up into the Gryffindor stands to sit amongst the crowd. "Hermione, I feel so bad for you." Melissa said, softly.

"Who are you going to root for?" Kayla added sympathetically.

"I'm just...not going to cheer." Hermione shrugged, sitting down.

"Aw...but that'll take the fun out of things!" Melissa said.

Hermione shrugged. "Cheer for three of my best friends or my fiance. Not much of a choice, there. So no, I'm not going to."

"I wonder where all of the parents and the officials from the Ministry are." Lavender Brown said as she sat behind Hermione, directing the three muggleborns' gazes to the box where the teachers and ministry officials sat. It was empty, save for the teachers and the mysterious Teddy and Titian.

"I think they closed the Quidditch Games to the public." Hermione said, softly.

"What!" The other three girls looked at her.

"They don't want a repeat of what happened in Potions. Understandably so." Hermione said, shrugging. "So Hogwarts is closed to the public. Nobody can get out, and nobody can get in."

"Wow...that seems kinda harsh for one incident with a snobby, arrogant, up-the-ass professor." Kayla said.

"I think it's been brewing for longer than that, Kayla." Hermione explained softly. But before Kayla could ask what she meant, the game had begun. Gryffindor rapidly sped ahead thanks to Ginny Weasley's brilliant maneuvering and Ron's Keeping skills. Kayla and Melissa were both on their feet within seconds, cheering, while Hermione sat silent, watching the game with a sardonic smile.

"AND POTTER HAS SPOTTED THE SNITCH!" Hermione spun, looking upwards. "MALFOY'S CLOSE BEHIND...OH NO! IT'S A BLUDGER HEADING STRAIGHT FOR POTTER!"

"**_HARRY_**!" Melissa and Kayla screamed. Hermione spotted the bludger and her eyes widened.

"POTTER DODGES..." The rest of the commentary was lost on Hermione as time slowed to a crawl. She heard someone scream, not knowing until afterwards when Lavender told her that it was herself. The bludger connected with a sickening crunch and the blonde seeker was suddenly falling. Raven Stryke was on her feet but Hermione had already flung out her hand, her milk-chocolate eyes flashing obsidian. The world slowed further in those few moments and time stopped...

In the next second, the blonde disappeared from the middle of the stadium, reappearing to fall on top of his desperate Fiancee.

**SCENEBREAKSCENEBREAKSCENEBREAK**

"Bugger off, Harry!" Draco put a hand slowly to his aching head as he heard the familiar hiss of his enraged fiancee. "I'm NOT going to your bleeding victory party, I told you!"

"Okay, okay! I just felt bad about you having to stay here and babysit..."

"Don't worry about it, Harry. It's not so bad, I can finish up my essay for McGonagall. Go on. Drink a butterbeer for me." Draco put his hand back down as he heard her approach.

"Alright..." Harry was walking out and there was the soft sound of someone sitting nearby. He didn't move, didn't dare ruin the moment. He felt a small warmth touch his face, and then his hand.

"Draco, you ass. You scared the shit out of me." He heard his fiancee's voice. He didn't remember what had happened, the last thing he remembered was Potter and the Snitch. Potter had rolled to one side suddenly and then...and then he'd come to here...wherever here was...hearing his fiancee's voice.

"Sorry..." He mumbled. He heard her gasp and suddenly there was a weight on the bed beside him.

"Draco?"

"Yes?" He responded, not bothering to try opening his eyes.

"How are you feeling?"

He sighed as he stretched, timidly. "Did someone get the name of that hippogriff?" He heard her soft laughter. "My head is killing me..." He said, quietly.

"Oh!" She shifted and he cracked his eyes carefully to watch as she leaned over and picked a small vial up off of the table beside the bed. An arm was slipped behind his neck and she helped him sit up slightly, putting the vial to his lips and letting him drink it slowly, his hand coming to cover hers gently. As the pain cleared, Draco looked up at her and smiled. She smiled back and set the vial aside.

"Are you quite finished scaring the shit out of me?" She teased him, a glint in her dark brown eyes.

"What happened?" He sat up, tucking the blankets around him, his hand finding hers, his fingers playing with the ring on her third finger delicately.

"Shry hit a bludger at Harry, who moved at the last moment. Seems Shry didn't think of you being in its path should Harry duck." She touched his forehead delicately.

"I bet the fall hurt quite a bit too." He said wryly.

"It did..." Hermione said, rubbing her own bum. He looked at her in confusion and she smiled. "Nevermind."

Draco yawned, stretching and laying back down, clinging to her hand as though it were a comfort item. "Don't get used to this, Granger. It's probably the drugs."

"Yes, Malfoy." Hermione laughed, watching him drop off to sleep before she reclaimed her hand and slipped back to her chair to continue her essay.

**SCENEBREAKSCENEBREAKSCENEBREAK**

"STOP BITCHING ALREADY, MALFOY! YOU'RE NOT DEAD!"

"WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW, GRANGER! YOU DIDN'T FALL OVER A HUNDRED FEET!"

"WELL NEITHER DID YOU!" The entire Great Hall looked up as the doors flew open.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, NEITHER DID I? I GOT HIT WITH THE BLUDGER DIDN'T I!"

"YOU GOT HIT WITH THE BLUDGER, BUT YOU DIDN'T FALL!" She screamed in his face, storming over to the Gryffindor table and snatching up a piece of toast and the grape jelly.

Draco stormed over to the Slytherin table and sits down angrily, attacking his food. Blaise and Pansy watched in amusement as they continued eating. "She's right, you know." Pansy said after a long silence. "You didn't fall."

"What do you mean?" Draco looked up.

"Hermione used wandless magic to save you." Blaise said. "It was wicked cool...it was like nothing I've ever seen, except maybe in Stryke's lessons."

"One second, you were beginning to fall..." Pansy continued, quietly. "And the next, you were landing on top of Hermione after a fall of like six feet." Draco's eyes had gone wide this time and he was staring over at the spot where his fiancee was sitting, just in time to see her throw her mutillated toast to the plate.

"OOH I HATE HIM!" Hermione hissed. Will and Ron just looked at each other and kept their mouths shut while Harry simply picked up the shredded toast, spread some jelly on it for Hermione- who had been scraping an empty knife across the poor bread- and handed it to the witch, who snatched it up and took an angry, emphatic bite.

"Well, it's your own fault for not telling him what happened, Hermione." Harry said, seemingly oblivious to her death glare as it swung to land on him in full force. He simply took another bite of his breakfast.

"Pardon me for not enjoying rubbing the fact that I didn't want him to fall to his death in." She hissed. "If I don't marry him, I'd have to marry Snape, is all."

"Uh-huh." Harry said, taking another bite. "And that's why you refused to leave his side until he'd woken up?"

"I...you...he..." Hermione sputtered, glaring at him.

"Yes?"

"URGH!" She stood up, snatched up her toast, and stormed for the door, muttering under her breath...unaware of the two pairs of eyes- one gray and one blue- tracking her progress.

**SCENEBREAKSCENEBREAKSCENEBREAK**

"You're sure?" The hiss came from the fireplace of the deserted Slytherin Common Room.

"I'm positive, Master." Ryne Leil whispered. "Malfoy seems to be falling for the mudblood's charms."

"This will not do..." Whatever else the voice may have said was cut off by a fierce barrage of magic in the form of a black mist slamming down into the fire, extinguishing it immediately. The mist then darted out of the fire and reformed into the shape of a young man with glowing cobalt eyes...the only part of the figure that held any color other than that same, glowing black that seemed to suck the light from the room. Ryne gasped and stumbled backwards, falling over backwards and rolling, struggling into a standing position, never taking his eyes off of those cobalt-blue orbs as he let out a soft shriek and ran for the stairs leading to his dormitory. The mist dissipated and pounced, swiftly, overcoming him and swallowing his scream before it even began.


	11. Chapter 10: Enter the Mystery

**Disclaimer: See Prologue**

**A big thanks and a shoutout goes to:**

**Serlene – Hehehe. I'm very glad you like it! I was almost afraid to put the intimacy in there...it almost felt like I was getting too much mush between them too soon.**

**'Mione n Sevvie – Thanks...I work hard on it and it's great to know that the work pays off.**

**Evillizzy89 – I think I'm going to leave it at a cliffy. Things will begin to come together, but slowly. I like slow. It helps me write more nonsense in between.**

**Badgurl13a – Glad you like it.**

_**I apologize for taking so long on this. Chapter ten is a long one, considering, and I've been busy with schoolwork. Yeah...even writers have to go to school to major in their careers. Anyway...last time we ended with a rather ominous patch of black mist. I know, I know...you're all thinking "WTF!"...but I guess you'll just have to wait and see, hm? I don't know what the black mist's purpose is. Ask it.**_

_**Yours,**_

_**Allison**_

**Chapter 10**

Hermione gave a weary sigh and began the trek back to Hogwarts. She'd stayed behind for a bit longer to make sure that the third and fourth year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws had all gotten back to the castle, and now she was exhausted herself. She and Draco had agreed to pair up two years and two houses per trip so that the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors went one week and the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs the others. They had also compromised on the seventh years, to save time, and the entirity of the seventh year students would go at once, with the added protection of Dumbledore and McGonagall themselves overseeing the trips.

Teddy, Titian, Raven, Draco, and the prefects were long since gone, and Hermione imagined that she was going to be in a spot of trouble when she got back. Sighing, she stretched and glanced around the empty path. They had managed to get all of the students to Hogsmeade at least once before Christmas, and the next day she and Draco would be climbing onto the train the next day to go to the burrow for two days...much to his dispair.

Hermione smiled to herself as she thought about her fiance. She really was growing to be fond of the man, despite it all. Of course, she would only admit it to herself...and barely even that. She was brought out of her reverie, suddenly, when she heard something behind her. Jumping, she turned and stared in horrorified curiosity at what she saw. There was a black mist floating behind her...more like a burning black fire, really, like a stereotypical muggle cartoon bad guy...watching her with glowing cobalt eyes. It floated there for a moment before taking shape into that of a young man, still watching her.

"What are you?" She whispered softly.

"I am the enforcer." Its voice was a soft rasp.

"**_Who_** are you?" She hesitated slightly before walking towards it.

"Who I am is of no concern." She could hear a note of sadness in the voice that was neither male nor female. "It is getting late. You should get back to Hogwarts before the last ray of light disappears."

"Why?" She asked, softly. "What happens after dark?"

"The creatures of the woods have been recruited to patrol Hogwarts' borders after dark." It said, quietly. "Now go."

Hermione turned halfway before turning back. "Will you..." it was gone. Hermione glanced towards the lowering sun and turned, beginning to hurry back towards the castle once more. She was running past Hagrid's hut when the last ray of the sun disappeared, and she stopped and doubled over, looking back towards the woods to see a pair of glowing green eyes. She didn't say a word, merely turned and ran on, reaching the doors of Hogwarts and slipping in, moving into the Great Hall and slipping into a seat beside Draco at the Slytherin table.

He looked at her, arching an eyebrow at her ruffled appearance, "Where have you been?"

"I stayed after in Hogsmeade to finish up a bit of shopping and to make sure everyone got back safely." Hermione said, taking a bite of her food.

"Ahhh." He took a bite of his own food and sighed. "Do I **have** to go to the burrow, Hermione?"

"Don't whine." She said absently. "And yes, you do. I'm going to your ball, aren't I?"

He let out an exaggerated sigh. "Yes."

"Then don't argue. You'll survive at the Burrow." Hermione said, taking a bite of her chili. Down the table a ways, Ryne Leil was unnaturally quiet as he ate automatically, never seeming to taste his food. His friends stared at him silently...afraid for his health. He'd been like this since his confrontation with Draco Malfoy, and they were growing more and more concerned.

"You're going home, Midonas." Whispered one girl. "You can tell the Master."

"Okay..." The boy in question whispered, nodding. "I will."

Hermione relaxed in her seat as she ate, talking idly with Pansy. Draco reached over, on impulse, and rested his hand on her knee. This made her pause and look at him, smiling. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "We still haven't finished what we started a while back, you know..." Hermione bit back a laugh, and a blush, as she remembered.

_"Malfoy?" He ignored her. "Malfoy...?" Growling, he still didn't seem to hear. "Draco!" That brought him up short, spinning him around to glare at her for a moment before his glare fell away. "What is it?"_

_He crossed the room in three strides and kissed her. Hard._

_Surprised, her lips responded to his automatically. A fire rushed through her veins and she lifted her hands to his cheeks as he pressed her back against the door. A groan passed his parted lips as she slipped her tongue into his mouth, entering into a delicate dance with his. He broke away from her lips, gasping for breath, before beginning to drop kisses down her neck and shoulder. She rested her head back against the wall as she struggled to regain her breath, her hands resting on his shoulders._

_"Sorry to interrupt this...frollick..." They both shot death glares towards the portrait on the wall where Natasha was standing, looking prim and proper. "But Titian Angelline and Theodore Krie are here to see you..."_

"No, we haven't." She replied. "And it probably won't happen until we're married, now." She caressed the hand on her knee before turning back to her food, smiling as she took a bite. "Are you packed?"

"Not yet." He said softly. "I'm going to right after dinner."

"Draco, I told you to pack LAST night." Hermione said, gently chiding him. He arched an eyebrow at her. "Now, you'll be throwing stuff into your trunk at the very last minute, freaking out and begging me for help, before you finally realize that you can use magic."

"Naw..." Draco said, confidently. "I'll be good. You'll see."

**SCENEBREAKSCENEBREAKSCENEBREAK**

"Hermione, PLEASE help me?" Draco gave the witch puppy dog eyes, kneeling before where she was sitting on the sofa in their common room reading. She directed her chocolate eyes over the book at him.

"Malfoy, you're a wizard for christ's sake!" She snapped. "Use your wand!" He stared at her for a moment, feeling a bit of de ja vu, before he snatched up his wand and stomped into his room. Hermione rolled her eyes and turned her gaze back to her book...just to snap her gaze upwards once more. The enforcer stood before her.

"You must not be gone from Hogwarts past the fifth day of the new year." It said.

"What? Why?" She asked, softly. Their honeymoon was supposed to last right up until the end of break, which was until the nineth of January.

"I cannot say, but you must be back by the fifth day of the new year, when the rest of the students return." It told her again, looking at her. She thought she detected a sorrow in those deep cobalt-blue eyes. On impulse she reached up, her fingertips moving towards the mist.

"Hermione?" Her gaze shot to her fiance's doorway. "Who are you talking to?" Her eyes moved back to the spot where the enforcer had stood moments before, meeting nothing but air. Sighing, she let her hand drop.

"Nobody, Draco. Go on and pack or we'll miss the train." She told him.

"I'm finished!" He told her proudly. Hermione bit back a laugh. "Well, shrink your trunk then, and come on." She told him, smiling as she stood up. He nodded and disappeared into his room for a moment or so more before ducking back out, tucking a miniature trunk into his pocket and his wand up his sleeve. Hermione grinned and opened the door to their dormitory, slipping out.

"Goodbye Natasha." She told the grumpy portrait. "We'll see you in two and a half weeks." She ignored Draco's questioning look until they were outside, out of earshot.

"I thought our Honeymoon was lasting until the last day before classes." He said.

"I got a warning from an anonymous source to be back by the fifth of January." She replied, her voice soft.

"And you're trusting this source? No, Granger. We're staying in Maui until the very last moment."

"Back to last names are we, Malfoy?" Hermione snapped. "We'll leave Maui early if I say we will. We'll be in Paris all summer anyways."

"Because our HOUSE is going to be in Paris!" He growled back.

"Well we're getting one here, too!"

"But not until we know for sure what we're going to do with our lives!"

"Stop bitching, Malfoy! We're coming back early and that's that!"

"Why do you get the last word!"

"Because I'm the **_wife_** and that makes **_me_** the boss!" She snapped, storming by Harry and Ron and flouncing onto the train. Draco stormed past Pansy and Blaise, muttering murderously to himself the whole time. Harry and Blaise exchanged looks.

"Good thing we're going to the Burrow with you." Pansy said, as she and Ron watched the angry couple stomp up the steps to the train. "They'd kill each other."

"I don't know if there's any way around THAT particular fact of life." Harry said, wincing as the screams began again on the train...over who would get which compartment.

"Maybe they'll get along better when they've lost their virginities." Blaise muttered. Pansy elbowed him and he grunted. "It's true!"

Ron's jaw dropped. "Malfoy's a virgin?" A wicked grin began on his face before Harry elbowed him.

"Not NOW Ron. He's marrying Hermione. Do you really want him to have lost his cherry before now?" Ron turned red...and then green...at the thought.

"**_FUCK YOU, MALFOY! I GET THE WINDOW SEAT!_**"

"**_THE HELL YOU DO, GRANGER! MOVE THE FUCK OVER!_**"

"I wonder how long it'll take them to remember that there are two window seats." Melissa said from where she and Kayla had been sitting playing a muggle cardgame on the steps. The other four snickered, and the students started inside, chuckling to themselves. Their laughter lasted only until they reached the door of the compartment that their friends were in. A pair of sixth year Slytherins stood in the doorway, wands pointed, an extra wand in each of their hands.

"Calm down, Shry." They heard Hermione's voice, soft and gentle, from within. The six students looked at each other and slipped silently into another compartment to listen.

"Granger...why the fuck are you doing this?"

"Why am I doing what, Shry?" Hermione's voice was steady...pitched as if she were trying to soothe a spooked unicorn.

"Why are you marrying that...that...him."

"Because of the marriage law. You know that."

"Why the hell didn't you take someone else's petition?"

Harry, who was watching through a crack, could see Hermione as she moved slowly to the upset Prefect, lifting her hand slowly and closing it- not over his wand- but over his hand. What she said couldn't be heard, and both of their voices dropped to inaudible. After a long time, Hermione's arms went slowly around the taller, slightly younger boy and she rested her head against his chest as he closed his arms around her tightly. Lesse, the other Slytherin Prefect, quietly set one of the wands in his hand down and walked away to give the two their moment.

Realization hit Harry, widening his eyes and making him lean heavily against the doorframe of the compartment. "She **_likes_** him." He whispered.

"He's in love with her as well." Blaise said softly from where he'd been standing beside Harry. "Why haven't we seen it before?"

"They're always fighting...neither of them will admit it to themselves, let alone each other. Now that she's marrying someone else, he's realized it." Harry said softly.

"I wonder if Draco's alright...Hermione's the only one that's come out..." Blaise said.

Shry pulled away from Hermione after a long moment, handing her her wand. "I'm going to petition for Andrea Hatlan." He said, softly.

Harry could tell from where he was that Hermione's smile was forced. "She'll be good for you."

"You trust me to keep her safe?" He looked almost surprised. Andrea Hatlan was a Hufflepuff.

"Yes. I do." She said, quietly. Shry nodded to her and walked off. Once he was out of sight, Hermione sagged against the doorframe of her compartment before spinning and running inside.

"Draco!" She knelt beside the boy who'd been hit with two spells at once, checking his pulse before relaxing lightly and whispering "_Ennervate_." As her fiance's eyes fluttered open, Hermione sighed softly and relaxed.

"Hermione?" Remembering what had happened, Draco shot upright, despite the soreness of his back where he'd hit the edge of the seat. "They didn't hurt you, did they!"

"I'm fine, Draco!" Hermione soothed.

"Their lives are going to be living hell..." Draco snarled.

"Let it go, Draco." Hermione said, her voice going hard. "It's been sorted out." They looked to the doorway as Harry, Ron, Blaise, and Pansy walked in slowly. Kayla and Melissa had gone off to find their friends.

"What took you so long?" Draco demanded, sitting beside Hermione...who had the window seat.

"We were...held up."

"Doing what?" Now Hermione looked suspicious, too.

"We were...putting a snake in...Snape's boxers." Blaise lied quickly. Hermione and Draco looked at each other.

**SCENEBREAKSCENEBREAKSCENEBREAK**

As the train pulled away from the station, a pair of cobalt eyes watched from the astronomy tower silently, black mist swirling in a shapeless form.


	12. Chapter 11: Enter the Love

**Disclaimer: See Prologue**

**A big thanks and a shoutout goes to:**

**lovenotknown – The black mist hasn't even been halfway as exposed as it will be before long. I'm glad you enjoy this story. It's becoming one that is fun as well as difficult to write, because there are so many different sub-plots that I have to begin working in.**

**Reanne1102 – I know. Hermione and Shry would be a fairly nice couple, but I plan on elaborating more on that when they return to Hogwarts. Hermione will be nice and married, and there will be nothing for it. I'm glad you enjoy my writing skills...there are times when they frustrate me, because it's really my only outlet. Yeah, can't Draw. Anyway...on with the chapter**

**evillizzy89 – Yes, this is a Draco/Hermione Fanfiction and it will continue to be one. Just because I throw in a twist does not mean that I will alter the original, basic plotline of the story. I set out, in the very beginning, to make this a Draco/Hermione Fic with very little real idea of the plot. As such, it shall remain a Draco/Hermione fic. No worries there.**

**_Welp...it's a wee bit late, but here it is. Your next chapter of By the Blood, I Commend You. Oh...for the record, no the title is NOT a misspelling. I know very well what "Commend" means as opposed to "Command." Had I meant to write "By the Blood, I Command You," then that's what I would have written. Even if I had made a spelling error, I would have caught it and altered it immediately. Now that that's cleared up and there are no more lingering questions...here you are._**

_**Yours,**_

_**Allison**_

**Chapter 11**

There were times when Hermione would gladly trade all of the smarts in the world- nay- all of the **_books_** in the world to be a guy. For one, guys had a tendency to discriminate against the 'weaker' opposite sex. A guy could hang out among a group of girls and work with them and after some time, they would forget that he was a guy...treating him as one of the girls. For a girl thrown into a group of guys, however, there was no such nondescrimination. The men in the group **_always_** remembered that the female was, indeed, a female, and treated her as such. Such behavior could be quite annoying and endlessly bothersome, so it was understandable that Hermione often wished that she could be a man.

This, however, was not one of those times.

She had pictured the meeting between the Malfoys and the Weasleys to be tense and charged, but she had had the misguided conception that for the sake of Draco and herself, they would put aside their differences. Not so. Narcissa and Molly might have been accepting of each other- indeed, they proved to be quite the pair- but Lucius and Arthur held no such reservations. The testosterone levels in the immediate vincity had risen to a choking, desperate intensity, and that was that. Draco, Harry, and Ron had immediately been at each other's throats, causing the testosterone levels to rise to even higher peaks- which were at record highs to begin with, Hermione was sure- and a fight had very nearly broken out in the middle of the train station.

What they had not counted on, however, was Hermione and her tendency to be a witch- spelled differently, of course- the moment someone was threatening her already fragile happiness. In the middle of the war, after all, there was very little happiness...especially when one was being forced to marry one's sworn enemy. All in all, Hermione was not happy.

"THAT IS **_ENOUGH_**!" The young witch's voice, incensed, silenced the entire station. Upon noticing that they were not the subjects of the powerful woman's wrath, the majority of the populace resumed their business immediately, leaving the group of blondes and redheads to face it alone. "You're acting like children! Now calm yourselves and let us get on our way!" Hermione's voice brooked for no argument, and when none were forthcoming, the witch levitated her trunk to a trolly and swept from the station like a queen.

Arthur Weasley watched her go, unsure whether to be amused or annoyed. Lucius, it seemed, had clearly chosen annoyed, for he was glaring daggers at the young woman's back. Arthur smirked, "Good luck with your ball." Was all he said as he swept past the blonde, Molly, Ron, Ginny, and Harry following. Draco bid a quick goodbye to Blaise and Pansy before he hurriedly ran after his fiancee. Lucius looked at Narcissa silently for a long moment.

"What have we gotten ourselves into?" He asked quietly. She shook her head and the two of them disapparated.

Outside, Hermione was already waiting, arms crossed and toe tapping...besides the cars that the ministry had sent along to cart them all back to the Burrow. Draco looked at Ron, who shrugged. "Don't look at me, Malfoy! She's your fiancee." He hurried to the cars and began to load things in with Harry's help. Now that they were fully qualified wizards- with only their final year at Hogwarts standing between them and their careers of choice (though in Harry's case, it was admittedly not much of a choice.) they were able to use their wands for the job, which got it done in record time...despite Hermione's shrill protests about some of the magic-sensitive things in her trunk.

Things at the Burrow were no better. If anything, they got worse. Charlie, Bill, and Percy were bad enough, but adding the twins to the mix was death for poor Draco. Hermione had been ushered upstairs by Ginny before she could warn the Weasley Clan- who looked upon her as if she were a baby sister- to keep their paws off of her fiance and their mouths to themselves. She sighed and- despite knowing that she should go save her future husband from her honorary 'brothers'- sank onto Ginny's bed and rested against the headboard.

"What am I doing, Gin?" She asked, softly. "Draco and I will never get along!"

"Yes, you will." Ginny said, sternly. "You're already getting better at getting along. Why...four months ago, you couldn't even be within ten feet of each other without hexing or screaming at each other!"

"And now I'm marrying him..." Hermione let out a groan and dropped her face into the pillows, shaking her head. "What the hell am I **_doing_**!"

"Securing your future in the Magical World." A soft, deep, recognizable voice came from the doorway. Ginny and Hermione shot around to stare as Draco stepped in. "I hope I'm not interrupting."

"Of course not..." Ginny said, hurrying for the door. On her way past him, she whispered, "**_Please_** do something..."

Draco hardly registered the redhead's voice as he caught sight of the tears in Hermione's eyes, spilling out at the sight of her fiance to trail down her cheeks...small paths of forlorn longing. Longing for something he wanted so desperately to give her. Following instinct, he moved to one of the few friendly faces in this- more or less- foreign place, sinking onto the bed beside her and pulling her close to him, resting his head against hers.

"You're too good of a witch to lose your future, Hermione." Draco murmured. She shifted in his arms before leaning up to look at him. As they always seemed to, his storm-cloud eyes turned endless. It would have been so easy to just lose herself in his eyes...to finish what they'd begun so long before, only to be interrupted by Natasha.

"Draco..." She whispered, softly. There was a world's worth of expression in that one world alone. He leaned in slowly, his eyes darkening steadily, to brush his soft, warm lips across her own. After a moment, he kissed her again, lips still soft and barely brushing hers. After several more of these feather-light kisses, she could stand it no more, and she leaned up, pulling his lips down into a much longer, much deeper kiss.

"Hermione, Mum was just wondering if yo..." George cut off abruptly, staring with wide eyes into the room. Draco and Hermione pulled back from each other quickly- almost guiltily- and turned towards the door.

"If I what, George?" Hermione asked, clearing her throat.

"If you...minded helping with dinner..." George stared, his jaw stil hanging open. Hermione looked up at Draco and, seeing his nod, she slipped from the bed and walked past George, stopping to lift one hand and use her first two fingers to close his mouth. He seemed almost petrified, not moving even when Draco slipped from the bed and followed the brunette from the room.

Downstairs, Arthur was opening the door to admit Pansy and Blaise, who grinned and nodded at Harry and Ron before looking towards the stairs as Hermione and Draco emerged. Pansy's eyes widened and she burst out with laughter at the sight of them. Blaise glanced up to see what she was looking at, before he smirked as well, crossing his arms. Draco and Hermione noticed them and stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, uncertainly. She looked darkly at Harry. "You didn't hit Pansy with a tickle charm did you...?"

"No..." Harry said, staring at her. He looked slightly green.

"Nice...job...Draco..." Pansy gasped out through her laughter.

"I...think I'm going to be sick." Ron murmured. Draco stared at them all in silence for a long moment before looking at Hermione in confusion. A slow smirk broke out on his face. Hermione, by this time, was rather fed up with the lot of them.

"What? What is it!" She demanded of her fiance, who reached over and took her hand, pulling her in front of a small mirror looking over the sitting room, pulling the hair back from her face as he stood behind her...nearly a foot taller than her, his cheek resting against the side of her face as he watched in amusement. "DRACO MALFOY! YOU GAVE ME A...A..."

"It's called a hickey, Granger. What are you going to..._oof_!" He doubled over as his air left him in a rush, her elbow having firmly slammed into his diaphram. He managed to look up through his weezing just to see the brown curled hair of his fiancee flouncing into the kitchen. There was an uneasy silence in the room before Bill, with one arm around Fleur, laughed softly.

"Welcome to the family, Malfoy."

**SCENEBREAKSCENEBREAKSCENEBREAK**

"Thank you, Mr and Mrs Weasley, for your hospitality." Draco said, formally. Hermione and her father were busy bickering over the luggage and how to pack it into the back of the Grangers' sedan.

"You are welcome at any time, Draco. You and Hermione both." Molly said with a smile. She had practically adopted the blonde- much to his chagrine- during the two days that the couple had been at the Burrow.

"Dad, I'm telling you, it'll fit better if I do this!" Hermione's voice carried to them and Draco rolled his eyes.

"I'll be sure to tell her. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd best go intervene before they start screaming at each other." Draco said, hurrying to Hermione and her father and cutting in, packing the sedan with several quick motions and a wand-flick.

"MALFOY! NOBODY ASKED FOR YOUR HELP!"

"I know. You're welcome." Was all he said before climbing into the back seat of the sedan.

"Infuriating...brainless..." Hermione muttered darkly to herself as she climbed into the passenger's seat, slamming the door. Mr. Granger chuckled, looking at Mrs. Weasley.

"Young love." He stated, simply.

Molly shook her head, fighting back a smile. "To think, courtships used to be full of flowers and chocolates. Now, courtships are screaming and storming off to different rooms."

"That bad?"

"I don't think those two have gone two consecutive hours since they arrived without fighting." Molly said.

"I'll keep that in mind...maybe Annelise can take Hermione shopping tomorrow to give the two of them a break." Carver Granger said, fighting back a smile as he walked around to the driver's seat of his sedan, starting it up and pulling away.

"I wonder if Lucius Malfoy knows what he's getting into." Bill commented to Charlie, who smirked.

"Not likely. At least Severus and Draco will be there to bail him out when he pisses Hermione off." Percy put in, chuckling.

**SCENEBREAKSCENEBREAKSCENEBREAK**

"You and Draco seem rather close...when you're not screaming at each other." Annelise Granger said as she took a shirt off of a rack and studied it, holding it up in front of herself and looking in the mirror. A pile of packages rested behind the two women already, and two piles of clothing waited draped over two chairs to be bought.

"Draco and I...I don't know what we are. We were enemies." Hermione said, calmly, as she pulled out a shirt and looked at it before putting it back. "We need to drop into Diagon Alley for a new set of dress robes for the Malfoy ball. I don't think they'd appreciate it if I showed up in a muggle ball gown." She said, absently.

"Alright. We can go there, next." Annelise replaced the shirt and kept shuffling through the clothes.

"Great...I think I'm done here...nothing else looks good." Hermione stated.

"Agreed." Her mother picked up everything and carried it up to the counter while Hermione picked up their packages and went out to wait on the sidewalk. When her mom joined her, they walked along together until they reached the Leaky Cauldron. Stepping inside, Hermione stretched and promptly shrunk their packages, placing them all into one larger package.

"Hermione!" Annelise said, shocked.

"It's alright, mum. I'm fully qualified now. I'm of age in the Wizarding World." Hermione soothed, leaving her mother flabbergasted as she stepped up to the blank wall and tapped out the pattern opening the doorway into Diagon Alley. As it opened, Hermione motioned and she and Annelise walked into the bustling Wizarding section of London. Glancing around, Hermione fought her way to Gringots and inside, where she showed a goblin her key and- leaving her mother (who hated riding on the rails) to wait in the lobby- travelled to her vault to gather some money. She had worked long and hard during the summers since her fourth year to save up for a start after school, so she had a pretty generous pile of money saved up. Scooping some into a small bag, she and the goblin returned to the surface.

On their way out of the bank, Hermione spotted a familiar blonde head. She glanced at her mother before hurrying forward. "Mr. Malfoy!" As the tall blonde and his wife turned, they spotted her and smirked, moving through the masses to the point where Hermione and Annelise stood on the grand steps of the bank.

"Hermione, dear, what have I told you about calling us by our first names?" Narcissa scolded as they approached.

"I'm sorry Narcissa, but I wanted to make sure you heard me." Hermione said. "I don't believe you've met my mother, Annelise Granger?" She motioned. "Mum, this is Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy...Draco's parents."

"And how is my son faring in the muggle world?" Narcissa asked, a bit of a twinkle in her eye. "He hasn't done anything extraordinarily dumb, has he?"

Ignoring her mother's look of alarm, Hermione laughed softly. "No, Narcissa, he hasn't. I've been keeping a leash on him well enough...though my mother." She slanted her eyes towards her mom, here. "Seems utterly determined to keep me away from him for the day. Our...displays of affection...are unsettling to some people." She fought not to keep from laughing at Lucius' flabbergasted look.

"If that's affection, that Volde-person that you're always talking about must be head over heels for muggle-borns." Hermione thought she heard her mother mutter. Narcissa, it seemed, had heard as well, for she hid a laugh with a delicate cough.

"Is it that bad?" She directed her question to Annelise.

"Worse." Hermione's mom said.

"Oh you poor dear. I'll buy you a drink, shall I? Hermione, Lucius, we'll be in the Leaky Cauldron when you've finished your shopping." Narcissa said, escorting Annelise away.

"Oh my." Hermione said, staring after her mother. "Poor mum. She's never had wizarding alcohol." She explained at her soon-to-be father-in-law's inquiring glance.

"Oh?" Lucius looked after the women. "Oh my, indeed." They watched as the women disappeared into the Leaky Cauldron before turning to each other. "Well then, what brings you to Diagon Alley today, my dear?" Lucius asked.

"I remembered that Ron spilt juice all over my dress robes. It wouldn't be so bad, but it was juice with Fred and George's famous no-remove staining juice. My mother and I were in Muggle London anyways, today, and I didn't think your guests would enjoy it overmuch if I arrived at the ball in a muggle gown, so we stopped here to pick up a set of dressrobes." Hermione explained.

"I see." Lucius said, slowly. "I will attend, I believe. A fresh opinion may help, yes?" Hermione kept her grimace from her face, nodding obediently. "Good, then!" At the wizard's motion, Hermione sighed and moved in the direction of Madam Malkin's, humming to herself over the din of the crowd. When Lucius heard her, he bit back a smirk. "You know...it is tradition, once about every century or so, for a wizard to get himself the fancy idea of flying about the world, delivering goodies to children on Christmas Eve." He said.

"Oh?" Hermione inquired as he held open the door to Madam Malkin's.

"Indeed." He stepped in behind her, glad to be out of the cold, and continued. "In fact, often times, this particular man is spotted. Incidentally..." Here, he allowed his lips to twist into a wry smirk. "The originator of this semi-tradition was a man named Nicholas Masiachi, a wizard who- quite foolishly- healed a muggle child's blindness...earning him the title of Saint."

"Saint Nick?" Hermione asked.

"The same. Ah, Madam. I don't suppose you could fit my future Daughter-in-Law with one of your finest works, could you? Just put it on the Malfoy tab."

"But..." Hermione began, just to have Lucius hold up his hand.

"Nothing for it, my dear." The blonde said, his drawl back in place now that the crowd wasn't around to disguise his words from the general public. "Draco's bride must be positively **_stunning_** for the ball. I'll hear nothing said in protest." He said, firmly.

Sighing, she conceded defeat. "Yes, Mr. Malfoy." She stated, even as the magical measuring tapes began their work.

**SCENEBREAKSCENEBREAKSCENEBREAK**

Upon Hermione's arrival home, she knew something was amiss immediately. Her mother had been slightly too inebriated to drive, so Hermione had been the one to drive out of London and to their home in the country-side, pulling in to their house and stopping the car, looking suspiciously at the dark house.

"Mum..." When her mother- now suffering the hangover that was the side-effect of having been drunk- looked up, Hermione pulled her wand. "Stay here. I'll be right back." She silently walked up to the house and pushed the already-open door so that it swung inwards. Walking into the house, Hermione's eye slanted back and forth silently.

What she saw on the couch made her stop, a soft smile coming to her face. She didn't know why the front door had been left open, but Draco was sprawled across the couch while her dad snored nearby in the recliner, both completely oblivious to Hermione's presence. Chuckling to herself, Hermione was careful not to wake the two men as she helped her mother up and into her room, digging around Draco's trunk for one of his headache potions and giving it to her mother before settling her to bed. She moved her dad up to bed with a levicorpus spell, and she brought down one of the warm, fuzzy, throw blankets from her own bed, tucking it around Draco before closing and locking all of the doors, slipping up the stairs to bed herself.

**SCENEBREAKSCENEBREAKSCENEBREAK**

"WAKE UP GRANGER!"

"KISS MY ASS, MALFOY!"

"BARE IT, GRANGER!"

"I WILL!"

"I WAS KIDDING! STOP STOP STOP!" A long silence rang through the Granger household after this outburst and Annelise and Carver peered towards the stairs warily, expecting the silence to end at any second. Sure enough, there was a squeal- though this one was very unlike the squeals of rage that they'd become slowly accustomed to over the past day and a half- and then silence again.

Footsteps racing down the stairs and their daughter- dressed in a loose blue cashmere turtleneck sweater and a pair of white jeans- burst into the room, running to them and holding out her left hand. The day before, her left ring-finger had been empty of any adornment. Now, however, there was an elegant but simple silver band stretching around it, adorned only with a small, perfectly cut diamond in the shape of a heart. "Look!" Hermione squealed. Draco, Carver noticed, stepped off of the last step behind the young woman, a small, strange smile on his face as he watched Hermione.

It was then that Carver felt a thrill of recognition rush through his veins. It was the same way that he himself looked at his beloved Annelise when she wasn't looking. The way that he'd seen Arthur Weasley watching Molly when her back was turned. The marriage would be arranged, and Carver doubted that his beloved daughter would ever forgive the Ministry of Magic...but in his future Son-in-Law's expression, in those precious moments when Hermione and Annelise gushed over the ring, Carver saw written- plain as day- the true kind of love that didn't fade, even after it had been abused and battered to the end of time.

Draco Malfoy had done what would previously have been unthinkable to those around him.

He had fallen for Hermione Granger.


	13. Chapter 12: Enter the Deatheaters

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ms. Rowling's wonderful creations. Nor do I own any of the various songs that may be presented throughout the length of this fanfiction. The various songs will be named at the end of the fic, as well as in the chapter within which they lie.**

A big thanks and a shout out goes to:

**Bookworm1214 – Yeah, I'm back. It took me a while, because I was really busy this summer, but I'm back now! I'm glad you enjoyed the new chapters!**

**Lady11Occult – Yeah, Lucius was still OOC in that last chap, but he's pretty much back in during this chapter...he's kinda brownnosing to Hermione.**

**Reanne1102 – Naw. You don't want a Hermione/Shry story. Shry's an ass. Trust me on that one. And thank you...I'm glad you enjoyed that last chapter.**

**Moonlightshadows – Here's your update. I'm not entirely sure it's what you'd call soon, because I've got three other stories that I'm trying to work on at the moment as well.**

**redrizen2hell – Confusing how?**

**Secret Thought – Thanks. I'm happy that you enjoy it.**

**'Mione n Sevvie – Hehe. I'm glad you enjoyed it. It was fun to write.**

**shmoogybear – I'm glad!**

**goldenlioness1102 – Thank you! It's a wonderful feeling to have such high praise from so many faithful reviewers!**

**evillizzy89 – I'm glad you liked the chappy. This one is a bit more comical towards the end...it's a filler until they get back to Hogwarts. Well...and the wedding. There will be quite a bit of humor in those chapters.**

**jimmythehun – I'm glad you like it.**

**-Lacus-Serenity- - Well, here you are! The ball chap. It may not be all it's cracked up to be because I'm not that sappy, personally, and so I don't see Hermione as sappy, either.**

**lovenotknown – It's alright, about the late review. It took me about as long to post this as it did you to review so we'll call it even, alright?**

**  
**

_**Wow. I was checking all of my stats and stuff last night and found out that this is by far my most popular story. Thank you so much to all of you out there who read it and review to it so often! Anyway…this chapter was thrown out over the course of about twenty-four hours ('Cause I had to get up and go to an early class this morning...otherwise it would have taken less time) and we're finally to the ball scene! Lucius is FINALLY back in character! See for yourself! Enjoy the chapter!**_

_**Yours,**_

_**Allison**_

**Chapter 12**

Hermione sighed and stared out the window. The entire Malfoy Manor was elegant and beautiful, like its inhabitants. Unfortunately, it was cold and empty...again, much like its inhabitants. From her bedroom, she could see the guests apparating into the apparition approved zone and work their way to the mansion. Silence rang throughout the suite of rooms that she and Draco spared, though she could see him in the reflection of the light on the mirror in the bathroom, cleaning his contacts to put back in. That had been one interesting trip to the eye doctor's.

Malfoy Manor was like a home from some muggle fairy tale...with servants and other niceties that the working class couldn't afford. Hermione could not, however, bring herself to forget that Lucius Malfoy had attacked Draco in the Head Bathrooms at the beginning of the year. She deeply regretted using Vanicimo- a spell that she had created herself for the nights when Ron and Harry had too much to drink and had passed out on her couch...to inebriated to get to their own beds. It was similar to apparition, but it wasn't...which was why it had worked on Hogwarts Grounds. The spell simply returned the person upon which the spell was cast to their bed, where they would wake up the next morning.

The problem with the spell was that she hadn't yet figured out a way to keep it from magnifying the hangovers tenfold. The only solution was to keep a hangover potion handy for when the boys stumbled back down the stairs in the mornings, feeling as if their heads were near exploding. She really had almost felt sorry for the Deatheaters that she'd vanished back to their homes that night, though she would have preferred it if she'd kept her wits about her long enough to capture them rather than simply vanishing them. She never would have been petitioned for by Draco that way, however, and would likely have ended up marrying Snape.

Her eyes were drawn to the blonde as he stepped into the room, shirtless. Brown eyes traced the lines of his chest and the scars to be found there before she turned to face him fully. "What do you think?" She asked, a tad nervously. Lucius had assured her that the dress robes that she'd gotten were beautiful, but the insecure side of her demanded that she confirm it with Draco.

Draco stared at her, seriously wondering whether or not she was joking. Narcissa had helped her do up her hair, and it was held up in a twisting bun with two locks of hair strategically hanging around her face. Her dress robes were a rich, expensive fabric that hugged her figure easily. They were a glinting silver-white color, and they accented the glitter strategically placed about her face. Draco was entranced, staring at her.

"Draco?" She asked nervously, and he saw her fidget slightly. Smiling, he moved to her and touched her cheek.

"You're gorgeous." He assured her. She smiled slightly and he leaned down, brushing his lips across hers. It was a soft, sweet kiss...unlike most of their kisses, which were passionate and fierce...much like their entire relationship. It was over in a moment and she found herself wishing for more, but he was offering his arm and she had little choice but to take it. Resting her hand in his, she smiled up at him, and they walked silently out of their rooms and to the head of the stairs, still smiling at each other as they began their descent into the hall.

Hermione became aware of the crowd when Blaise- with Pansy on his arm- met them at the bottom of the stairs. He bowed and Pansy curtsied, and they slipped off to one side. "What's going on?" Hermione whispered to Draco.

"Mother didn't tell you?" He didn't look at her, his face frozen in a courteous smile as he nodded to a few of the guests. "You and I are sharing the first dance, opening up the floor."

"What!" She, too, pasted a smile on her face and nodded to the people who greeted her. "No, she didn't tell me." She smiled and nodded to Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, who approached with their dates, their fathers and mothers close behind as they greeted Draco and Hermione.

"Father and Mother put out the word that you're the true hostess of this shinanigans...and I'm the true host..." He nodded to Mrs. Crabbe and Mrs. Goyle, smiling.

"Oh shit." Hermione muttered as Blaise's parents approached them. She nodded, as did Draco.

"My sentiments exactly." He whispered as the Parkinsons stepped forward. "It's a trap...they want you to fail."

"Then...I'll just have to not fail." She smiled and nodded as the MacNairs stepped up to them.

"There's no way...you don't know the protocals of these balls...you've never been to one." He politely thanked the Minister for his compliments about the setup of the ball.

"Stop freaking out, Malfoy." She muttered, smiling and nodding to the Lestranges.

"I'm not freaking out. This isn't freaking out. When I'm freaking out, you'll know." He hissed back, forcing a smile as he nodded deeply to his mother and Hermione curtsied to his father. Leading her out onto the floor, Draco was aware of his father nodding curtly to the orchestra, and he immediately began to move with the music in a complicated dance that he was almost afraid to dance with Hermione...fearing that she didn't know it.

"You're freaking out." She told him, frankly, as she moved with him perfectly. He stared at her, amazed at her skill. "Calm down. It will be okay. Sink or swim, tonight will go smoothly." She paused as he spun her out and then back into him. "Don't worry about it." She smiled at him reassuringly. "That's my job, as the hostess. You just show up and look nice."

Narcissa and Lucius stood to one side, arm in arm, watching the young couple. "Lucius, for being so eager to get her into our family, you are certainly dead set on humiliating the poor child." Narcissa murmured.

"I want that mudblood to learn her place, early." He whispered. "She's far too cocky for her own good. The little wench actually thought to demand protection for her family."

"Did you give it?" Narcissa asked as the music ended and another song began, signalling the allowance of other couples onto the floor. Lucius smiled politely at the guests and ushered Narcissa onto the floor cordially, beginning to dance with her.

"What else was I to do? As you said, I'm very eager to get her into our family." He spun his wife out, and then back in. "The impertinent little chit is lucky that our Master allowed me to grant her parents the protection." He snapped.

"Why did you bow to the little mudblood's wishes?" She asked, arching one eyebrow. She rather liked Annelise Granger, despite her blood and the lack of magic therein.

"Because the little bitch forced my hand. I had to grant her changes...they were slight enough and required little enough effort that should I have refused, she would not have signed. The mudblood isn't stupid, despite her dirty blood." Lucius murmured, his dark gray eyes drilling holes into Hermione's back from across the room.

"She's very powerful as well." Narcissa commented as she, too, looked towards the younger couple.

"Another reason to get the bitch under our thumb." Lucius retorted. "I don't know what spell she used to send us back to our homes after my visit to Hogwarts, but the wench did a damned good job of it." His dark eyes burned with the fury of a held-over grudge as he stared at his soon-to-be daughter-in-law, promising dark things to come. "Yes...this will be a conquest well worth it." He hissed.

**SCENEBREAKSCENEBREAKSCENEBREAK**

Hermione smiled courteously at Crabbe Senior as he spoke to her. She made a few noncommital replies before excusing herself easily and making her way over to rescue her fiance- who was deep in discussion with Millicent Bulstrode and looking more panicked by the moment. Walking up behind him, she pasted her smile on her face and touched his elbow. He looked at her and- without breaking up the conversation, slipped his arm around her waist possessively and pulled her close. The action told Hermione more than Draco had likely meant it to, and she barely managed to keep her smile in place as she studied Millicent, who was discussing the war.

"I tell you, I'm not sure who I want to vote for anymore." She said, waving a doughnut about. "With the new law forcing us all to marry muggleborns, almost all of us will lose a spouse or an in-law if the muggleborns are all killed." Pansy nodded silently, winking discreetly at Hermione as she spoke up.

"Well, I don't know about you, Milli, but I find that a few of the muggleborns aren't quite as horrid as we've always thought, now that Hogwarts has closed its doors and this law is forcing us to get to know each other. And there are loads of muggleborns out there that are ten times more intelligent than some purebloods...namely Fudge." Draco chuckled at the truth of that particular statement and turned to look down at Hermione, who looked up at him and smiled. He looked past her to his father, who nodded- signifying that it was time.

This was the portion of the evening that Draco had been dreading. He walked to the doors of the hall and rang a small bell, bringing the music, talking, and dancing immediately to a halt. He looked towards Hermione, inwardly begging her not to overreact. "Excuse me ladies, and gentlemen...now is the time that you've all hung around for! Into the parlor, all of you!" He grinned and motioned grandly towards the parlor behind him before stepping to one side to wait for his fiancee.

Frowning as she reached him, Hermione muttered. "What's this about, Malfoy?"

"Voldemort." He muttered, just as quietly. "The Eve ball is merely a cover for a Dark Revel...Ah, good evening Mrs. Parkinson. Yes, I'm sorry that we haven't had time to speak, as well...of course, before the night is through. Go on in, now." He smiled, nodding to the woman that slid past them and walked into the room. He was mildly aware that Hermione's grip on his arm was tight enough to cut off circulation as his parents passed them, nodding cordially, before he turned and escorted his fiancee into the room.

Once their guests were all settled, Hermione and Draco moved together. She wasted no time in hissing at him, "I don't want to meet Voldemort! How is he going to react when he finds out that you're marrying me- Harry Potter's best friend?"

"You don't have much of a choice, now, do you Granger?" Draco hissed back, smiling insincerely at the guests and nodding as they sat down, thanking his lucky stars that they were just out of earshot of everyone else...having to sit at the head of the room, being the impromptu host and hostess.

"Fuck you, Malfoy." She muttered darkly as the doors blew open and a dark shape flew in. She could feel a dark presence at the back of her mind and immediately threw up all kinds of barriers, focusing on one of the many images of Harry unclothed that she had stored up for such an occasion. With a hiss, the presence in her mind withdrew. She didn't even turn her dark brown eyes to look at the man- if you could call him that- at the head of the room. It took all of her willpower to avoid doing so...but she didn't know what was worse, her fear of Voldemort or her hatred of Wormtail...whom she could hear snivelling beside the so-called Dark-Lord.

"My Lord." She heard Lucius' voice, and she was aware of everyone behind her bowing low. Draco nudged her and then bowed. She frowned and glared at him for a long moment, lifting her head.

Brown, cat-like eyes met hazel, snake-like eyes and clashed. Immediately, Hermione felt his presence in her mind once more and she slammed up the shields. For all of her willpower, however, she could feel him getting past her barriers. Pulling on her second line of defense, Hermione presented him once more with a picture of Harry in a pose that would make even Lavender or Parvati blush...had they seen it, of course. With a hiss, she felt the presence recede slightly before pressing past the image, firmly. Finally resorting to her final and strongest barrier- the one that Professor Snape had never managed to penetrate during the Occulmency lessons. She brought up a memory ten years old of herself and her muggle best friends singing karaoke. It was atrocious, of course, but it had never failed to get people out of her mind.

_"Don't tell my heart! My achy breaky heart! I just don't think it'd understand!" Seven-year-old Hermione wailed away, off key and completely out of sync with the karaeoke tape._

_"For if you tell my heart! My achy breaky heart! It might just blow up and kill this man!" Her inseparable best friend, Aleina, wailed- just as tone-deaf and off-beat._

Immediately following that particular memory was another, equally atrocious memory...again of kareoke. Aleina and Hermione had fancied themselves quite the singers right up until Hermione's departure to Hogwarts.

_"I'll buy a one way ticket on a west-bound train!" Hermione roared._

_"I'm gonna go out dancin in the pourin rain!" Aleina screeched._

_"Gonna have my breakfast with pink champagne!" Hermione's young voice cracked and a squeal could be heard_

_"Gonna fall in love againnnnn!" Aleina yelled._

_"Cause I can!" Both girls shouted._

"ENOUGH!" Voldemort roared as he withdrew. All eyes shot upwards to the Dark Lord and the Mudblood witch, staring as she gave a small smirk and a low curtsey, holding it until Voldemort hissed. "Rise." He rubbed his ears...an unconscious reflex...before he caught himself and crossed his arms, glaring at the young witch. "Someone actually listened to that trash?" He demanded.

"My mother confessed last year to having worn earplugs every time Aleina and I took the stage." Hermione admitted. To the surprise of everyone gathered, even- and perhaps most of all- Voldemort himself, the Dark Lord burst into laughter. Once he'd contained himself enough that he could focus on the young witch- who was fidgeting, unsure how to react- he narrowed his eyes.

"Let us not make a habit of defying me, Mudblood." He said, though the name lacked any true venom...especially after Voldemort had nearly laughed himself to tears. Hermione found it hard to see someone who could laugh themselves stupid over something so simple as evil and sadistic. Then again...Aleina had always said that she had a death-wish.

"Of course not, Lord Voldemort." Hermione curtsied again, deciding that calling him Lord Voldie-Pants would push even her luck.

**ominousrandomwordsinsertedtocreateabreak**

**The songs in this Chapter were: **

**Achy Breaky Heart – Billy Ray Syrus (SP)**

**One Way Ticket (Because I can) – LeAnne Rimes**


	14. Chapter 13: Enter Aleina

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ms. Rowling's wonderful creations. Nor do I own any of the various songs that may be presented throughout the length of this fanfiction. The various songs will be named at the end of the fic, as well as in the chapter within which they lie.**

**A big thanks and a shout out goes to:**

**lovenotknown – I'm sorry. No...I'm really not. I wanted the meeting with Voldemort to be humorous, since so much of this story has been dark and heavy (Except for the amused exasperation that I feel upon writing their arguments) up to date. I also figured that Dumbledore would want Hermione to know occulmency to be able to shield herself from Voldie-Pants, so I thought that the singing was a nice touch.**

**Lady11Occult – I'm afraid, that I must disagree. I do not see Hermione as out of character in being civil to Voldemort because she does not wish to wind up _dead_. This means that she would have to go against her character. Remember...she's very literally between a rock and a hard place with a room FULL of deatheaters at her back and Voldemort standing in front of her.**

**BloodJewel – I'm glad you enjoy this story so much. It gives me that warm fuzzy feeling that writers get when they get good feedback.**

**Bookworm1214 – I could have, but as I said before...so much of this story has already been dark and heavy that I wanted to add some humor.**

**Bex Drake – I'm glad the story made you smile. And I know what you meant about the mary sues and marty stus. I try to keep my characters as "real" as they can possibly be. Glad to know I'm doing a good job at it.**

**moonwaves15 – I'm glad you enjoyed it.**

**jimmythehun – I'm glad you enjoy it so much. It's always good to know that my work is appreciated.**

**goldenlioness1102 – Yes, the dance-argument between the two of them was funny. I wrote that entire chapter with amusement in mind...as with this chapter. Unfortunately, it's time to get serious again with the wedding in the next chapter.**

**Moonlightshadows – I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. Yes, they are. I do alright, though. I tend to favor the HG/SB and the HG/V stories more than this one, so if I ever get behind, just send me an email or a PM yelling at me to get to work.**

**Kichou – I'm glad you like it.**

**Destiny's Darkness – Lord Voldie-Pants seemed to have a bit of a ring to it. I'm glad you enjoy the story so much. As for the memories "that would make even Lavender or Parvati blush"...well, the explanation for that will come later.**

**ladeportista4 – Well...I was more trying to convey the point that she WASN'T powerful enough to simply force him out of her mind, and she knew it, so she had a couple of other layers of defense there just and case...but the whole powerful bit works, too.**

**Earthsong05 – I love the Marriage Law stories as well...that's partially what brought me along to writing this one. I also had to think, though, about what would make miss Goody-Gryffindor Hermione Granger fall for the Bad-Boy Slytherin Draco Malfoy. This seemed to be the most effective way. Force two people that hate each other into a relationship that is less than platonic and they'll eventually either kill each other or fall in love. Thin line between love and hate...and all that.**

**Taroshi – I'm glad you enjoy it so much! I was laughing my ass off as I wrote it in...so much so that I misspelled karaoke about twenty different times. Oh well.**

**'Mione n Sevvie – I'm glad you enjoy it so much. XD That was probably my favorite part of that particular chapter.**

_**This is a VERY short chapter and for that I apologize...but I think the lot of you will enjoy it when you read it! Especially the ending! AND you all get to (FINALLY) see the wedding in the next chapter! That's right! The next chapter is the wedding! Ooh! Okay...the songs in this chapter are: This Christmas Tide by Donald Fraser and I will Always Love you...I've no idea who writes OR sings that one.**_

_**Yours,**_

_**Allison**_

**Chapter 13**

Hermione groaned softly into her pillow as she felt the warm body beside her shift, an arm going around her waist and pulling her back against a warm, bare chest. She gave a soft sigh and opened her eyes, thankful that she'd been drunk with Aleina before, and so knew muggle tricks to avoid any type of hangover whatsoever. Rubbing her head, she shifted restlessly, noticing that she wasn't wearing any clothes, and looked around at the person holding her. Unable to get a good look without breaking the hold of the arm around her waist, she sighed and settled back down, closing her eyes.

"Mmph." A whimper came from behind her. "My head..." She recognized her fiance's voice and rolled over, trying to remember the vague details about how they'd ended up in the same bed, stripped to their underwear, the night before. His face was screwed up in a pained expression, and she chuckled softly before reaching into the nightstand on her side of the bed, pulling out a particularly strong headache potion and nudging him enough to hand it to him.

"Drink this, Draco. It'll help." She murmured, closing her eyes again. She was still trying to remember how they'd decided to sleep together, finally giving up. She'd obviously been drunk enough to pass out if she hadn't managed to pull on the nightgown that she could see on the floor by the bed, where it had fallen off during the night, and so it likely hadn't been much of a conscious decision at all. After a few moments, she felt the vial handed back to her, and she placed it back on the nightstand before she felt an arm around her waist, pulling her back against him. Shifting, she curled against his chest and the two closed their eyes, drifting back to sleep.

When she woke once more, Hermione looked at Draco, who shifted slightly and murmured in his sleep. Smiling in amusement, she gently pried his arms off of her and slid out of the bed, picking up a robe draped over the back of a chair and making her way first to her suitcase and then to the bathroom. Inside, she climbed easily into the shower and turned on the water, sighing in relief as the heated water beat down upon her shoulders, making her close her eyes and sighing softly. She felt a tickling sensation at the back of her brain and knew that- despite her muggle tricks- she hadn't quite beaten the hangover. It would wait, however, until she found her other headache potion.

Stepping out of the shower, she reached for a towel and began drying off, humming to herself. After a few moments, a song that she'd heard once upon a time came to her lips. A witch's quartet was singing now...a soprano, an alto, a tenor, and a bass...

The soprano's voice came on first.

"Green and Silver, Red and Gold

And a story born of old

Truth and Love and Hope abide

This Christmas tide, This Christmas tide..."

At that, a second voice had joined hers easily on the second verse...singing the alto part. The parts were amazing together.

"Holly, Ivy, Mistletoe

And the gently falling snow

Truth and Love and Hope abide

This Christmas Tide, This Christmas Tide..." The women's parts were joined by the tenor part in the next part...the tenor singing melody while the alto sang harmony and the soprano's voice rose to a lovely descant.

"From a simple ox's stall

Came the greatest gift of all

Truth and Love and Hope abide

This Christmas Tide, This Christmas Tide..." The bass joined in at the very ending of the refrain during that verse and continued to sing his part as the alto took over the melody and the soprano continued on her descant, the song still lilting and fairly slow.

"Child-" The others began, only to be joined by the soprano.

"Children sing of hope and joy

At the birth of one small boy

Truth and Love and Hope abide

This Christmas Tide, This Chrismas tide..." The voices continued their easy warmth, the tenor taking over the Melody once more.

"Let the bells ring loud and clear

Ring out now for all to hear

Truth and Love and Hope abide

This Christmas Tide, This Christmas tide..." The four voices rose steadily in pitch until it was loud and brilliant before the song sped up unexpectedly.

"Trumpets Sound! And voices raise..." The soprano's voice continued in the wonderful descant, hitting each of her notes precicely.

"In an endless stream of praise." The lilting soprano continued to float above the others as Hermione swayed to the music, imagining it easily.

"Truth and Love and Hope abide

This Christmas Tide, This Christmas Tide..." The soprano's voice was high, and the entire group continued the crescendo that brought their voices higher and higher in volume with the last of the refrain. There was a break while a piano played, and when the voices picked back up, it was a soft, melodic tune. The same that the song had begun with, with the soprano once more singing the melody.

"Green and Silver, Red and Gold

And a story born of old

Truth...and love...and hope abide...

This Christmas Tide...This Christmas Tide..." As the music disappeared from Hermione's mind, she smiled and finished her makeup and double-checked her hair before pulling on a pair of long, elegant blue robes and stepping out into the bedroom. Draco was up, humming to himself as he fixed his hair at a vanity across the room. Hermione grinned.

"Oh, you're not vain at all." She teased as she pulled out a weaker version of the potion she'd given him earlier, drinking it. Startled, he turned to look at her.

"Damn, Granger! What are you trying to do, give me a heart attack!" He yelped. She laughed.

"It's not my fault that you were so caught up on your reflection that you couldn't hear me come in, dig quite noisily through my duffle bag, and drink a headache potion!" She defended. He laughed and shook his head.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked. She frowned, confused.

"What? Go where?"

"To your parents' house, of course." Draco grinned. "My father was mortified by the way you talked to his so-called Dark Lord."

"Oh no...what did I do?" She asked, slowly.

"You called Voldemort...and I quote..."Lord Voldie-Pants."

"Oh lord..." Hermione fell to the bed and buried her face in the pillows. "Kill me." Draco let out a bark of laughter.

"The way you were sucking up last night, Granger, one might think you'll turn Deatheater."

"HAH!" It was Hermione's turn to laugh. "Voldie-Pants should be so lucky." She muttered darkly before grinning with an evil delight as she began packing her things back into her duffle bag. "What was his reaction?"

"The Dark Lord's? He was amused. You drank an irishman under the table."

"So that's why I can't remember anything." Hermione said, grinning ruefully and sliding a hand through her hair. "Aleina never has been able to get me to remember anything once I've drunk her under the table."

"Aleina?"

"Oh shit...you haven't met Aleina." Hermione dropped her brush. Harry and Ron were emerging by floo into the room and they stopped.

"What?" Harry asked, slowly.

"Please tell me you're kidding." Ron said.

"He hasn't met Aleina." Hermione said, looking at her best friends, a shell-shocked expression on her face.

"Well..." Ron said, slowly...

"This will be an...experience..." Harry said.

"Will you stop this and tell me who in the blazes **_Aleina_** is!" Draco shouted, staring back and forth between the three of them. They just looked at him with blank faces.

**SCENEBREAKSCENEBREAKSCENEBREAK**

He'd had to ask.

Draco put his head in his hands and watched his increasingly inebriated fiancee laughing and joking with her irish friend, reminisking. It was seven in the bloody evening and Hermione and Aleina were both buzzing already. He just hoped to god they didn't go up onto the stage. Carver Granger had warned him not to let that happen if he could help it...and then Annelise had pointed out that if Aleina and Hermione got it into their heads, there would be no stopping them.

Kayla and Melissa, who'd come along to spend some 'quality time' with Harry and Ron, were laughing it up. Harry and Ron were in near the same state that Draco and Aleina's boyfriend, Grant, were in. Hopeless, loving, frightened exasperation.

"We should shing, Hermi...Hermi...Mee oh nee!" Aleina slurred. "It will be jusht like..." Here she paused to take a breath and belch. "Old timesh."

"Itsh not like old timesh, Aleina. I'm an engashed woman now!" Hermione slurred in return. "But yesh. Shinging would be (hic) wunnerful!"

"Oh god..." Draco put his head in his hands. "Oh god oh God oh GOD! Why me? Why, by all that is holy?"

"You mean why US." Grant said, groaning.

"Why us?" Draco whined in agreement, plopping his head back down to the table as the two girls- nay, women- on the stage began to sing in very off-key voices.

"And IIIIIII WILL ALWAYS LOVE **_YOU_**" Hermione squealed, sometime during the chorus.

"And IIIII WILL ALWAYS LOVE **_YOU_**" Aleina echoed.

Grant and Draco looked at each other before simultaneously summoning a waitress loaded down with more mugs of beer over to them.


	15. Chapter 14: Enter Betrayal

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ms. Rowling's wonderful creations. Nor do I own any of the various songs that may be presented throughout the length of this fanfiction. The various songs will be named at the end of the fic, as well as in the chapter within which they lie.**

**A big thanks and a shout out goes to:**

**Destiny's Darkness – You'll see her in this chapter...and I'm debating making her a Beaubatons (or perhaps an American) witch. Which would mean that she is also affected by Fudge's dreaded marriage law. I'm uncertain, as of yet, when it comes to the part that Aleina plays in this fic...I don't know if her job is done or not. And yes...Lord Voldie-Pants does roll off of the tongue quite pleasantly.**

**goldenlioness1102 – I'm glad you enjoyed it.**

**BloodJewel – Yes...I wanted to keep some humor in the fic, as I felt it might have been getting a wee too dark.**

**Warg – Yes, yes I did.**

**0odr8co's'girl0o – I'm glad you enjoy it so much, and thank you.**

**lovenotknown – I apologize for getting you grounded. I hope it was worth it!**

**evillizzy89 – I know what you mean. I wrote that, pitying the boys.**

**Bex Drake – Glad you enjoyed it**

**Sesshoumarusmate4life – Wow...your name is a handful. I'm glad you think that this fic has improved in style. That was, after all, one of my goals.**

_**Okay...here is the promised wedding scene! It's a bit anticlimactic, I'm afraid...but oh well. It's there. Next chapter: Back to Hogwarts...which means more Raven and MAYBE we'll all finally find out who that blasted mist is, eh? ALSO! The song in this chapter is Changes by 3 Doors Down! You can also find that particular set of lyrics in my Hermione/Sirius fic, Spinning Bottles. Be warned, though...that's a dark fic.**_

_**Yours,**_

_**Allison**_

**Chapter 14**

_Oh god...Oh god...Oh god..._ Hermione's thoughts were running along a similar path to Draco's, though she didn't know it. _I'm not ready to do this...oh god...I'm getting married..._ She turned green.

"Mione? You gonna be okay?" Aleina, her maid of honor, asked.

"No." Hermione groaned, running for the bathroom that connected to their dressing room. Aleina and Ginny, who was also there, exchanged glances.

"Maybe I'd better handle this..." Aleina said. Ginny nodded.

"I'll go tell Pansy and Harry that we need to stall the wedding for a bit." The younger girl said. Both girls were redheads, though Aleina was slightly taller and had hers cut to her shoulders while Ginny's touched her butt. Aleina's eyes were also bright and glittering blue while Ginny's were a gentle hazel. Aleina had a...flare...of mischief about her that Ginny also had...though in a smaller proportion. Ginny was also a witch, versus Aleina's strictly muggle blood. It was another reason that Hermione had been so adamant about a muggle wedding...she'd wanted Aleina there with her.

Hermione was resting against the wall, the porcelain god within a short lunge's length...just in case. She was looking better, Al noted as she looked down at her friend. Not wanting to change just yet, Aleina had preferred to remain in her jeans, four-inch stiletto boots, and the roman-sleeved shirt that came down until just above her navel ring. She was the type that looked good in black...her hair a black-red, not the normal orange-red or brown-red. Her skin was so pale that she had to wear four layers of sunscreen in the summers to avoid burning. Hermione had always admired her best friend's looks, though she rarely showed it.

"Mione...what's really wrong?"

"I'm getting married." Hermione groaned.

"So?" Aleina asked, squatting on her stiletto heels and meeting her best friend's eyes.

"I don't love him!" Hermione snapped. Aleina seemed to consider this, and then she stood and walked to the mirror, beginning to study her hair, making sure it was done nicely. "What are you doing! Don't ignore me!" Hermione snapped. Aleina made no sign that she'd heard Hermione, simply began spraying her hair with hairspray. "DAMN it, Aleina Mary-Anne Price! I am not some...some...bloody _child_ that you can trick into admitting that I love someone who I quite _obviously_ hate, simply by ignoring me!"

There was a small creak as Alena pressed the lever on top of the curling iron. Hermione stormed out of the room. Aleina smirked into the mirror and turned, walking out. "I'm sorry, Mione, did you say something? I couldn't hear over the pity party that you were having."

"Fuck off." Hermione snapped, yanking a toothbrush and some toothpaste from her duffle bag and storming past her friend into the bathroom. Aleina turned to follow when the door was slammed in her face. Al stepped back and frowned, looking at the door.

"Oops." She murmured. Clearly, her best friend was more upset than Al had previously thought.

"Where's Hermione?" Aleina turned to see Harry standing in the doorway. "It's almost time. Why aren't you in your dress?"

"The bathroom. I know. Because my dress is currently locked in the bathroom with the bride, who's in a real snit."

"Oh my." Harry walked to the door and tried it. He then knocked.

"GO **_AWAY!_**" Hermione shrieked.

"You're going to have to let someone in, Mione Girl!" Harry called. "You'll be late for your own wedding if you don't."

There were times when Harry was deep and sensitive and knew just what to say. These times were the times when you knew for certain that he was going to make someone a wonderful husband...when you knew that his wife would never be found wanting. These were also the times when you wished- if only for a moment- that you might be that wife...even if you knew that it would never happen.

This was not one of those times.

"Oh very good, Scarface." Aleina said, grimacing as she looked at the bathroom...inside of which music could be heard, the speakers nearly rattling the walls. "Now, not only is she **_not_** out, but she's blasting music so that she can't even **_hear_** us!"

"How was I supposed to know that she'd take that the wrong way!" Harry snapped.

"Oh gee, I don't know!" Aleina growled. "The fact that this wedding is what drove her in there to begin with, perhaps!" They were nearly nose to nose by this time, green eyes narrowed in a battle of wills against equally- if not moreso- narrowed blue eyes. Ginny, who had come in with Harry, was watching it all with great amusement. She saw the sparks flying in the air around them...metaphorically speaking, of course...much as the sparks flew when Malfoy and Hermione were arguing.

Malfoy and Hermione.

Malfoy.

"I've got it!" The young Gryffindor ran from the room and towards the other end of the church, where the husband-to-be was standing in a crisp white tux waiting for his fiancee and her approach. Ignoring the odd looks given to her by both the wedding planners (known to the fair, noble readers as the Missuses Granger and Malfoy) and the curious looks shot her way by those of Hermione's friends and family gathered in the pews waiting for the ceremony to begin, Ginny grabbed Draco's hand and pulled him to the back of the church...seemingly oblivious to the rumors that the action would spark. "Come on, Malfoy!"

"Weasley...what's going on!" Draco hissed the moment they were out of the doors. Ginny never slowed...Draco was at a loss to understand how in the blazes she could walk so bloody **_fast_** in four inch stilettos...as she pulled him back towards the bride's dressing room.

"Harry is being a dunce." The young Weasley said. She glanced back at him then, just briefly, and Draco could swear that he saw her roll her eyes.

"Potter? What the hell did **_he_** do?" Draco demanded.

"Well...Hermione got sick to her stomach, so Aleina went in to reassure her and get dressed and their makeup fixed, all that jazz." Ginny said.

"Huh?"

"Muggle Saying."

"Oh."

"Anyway...apparently, Aleina said something stupid and Hermione barricaded herself in the bathroom." Ginny said.

"So...where does Potter come into all of this?" Draco asked, trying to keep up with her as she all but ran towards the back of the church at the same time as he tried to follow what she was telling him.

"Well...Harry decided to try **_his_** hand at getting Hermione to come out and...well, he..."

"Shoved his foot in it?"

"More or less." By this time, they'd reached the dressing room. Ginny turned to the blonde man. "Brace yourself, Malfoy...it's about to get real loud." The moment she opened the door, the music blasting from the bathroom hit them like a wall. Draco let out a curse that he knew went unheard as he and Ginny hurried into the room. Pansy, Blaise, and Ron had joined Harry and Aleina in the time that it had taken Ginny to drag Malfoy to the back of the church, and they were all staring at the barricaded door in bemusement.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Draco roared to make himself be heard over the noise. "WHY CAN'T YOU HEAR IT OUTSIDE OF THIS ROOM!"

"PANSY WAS BRILLIANT ENOUGH TO PUT UP A SILENCING CHARM!" Blaise shouted back. "BUT HERMIONE CAN'T HEAR US! WE'VE TRIED IT!"

"EITHER SHE CAN'T OR SHE WON'T!" Pansy confirmed. Draco frowned and looked at the door. The music...the song...it was one he recognized.

"HAS SHE BEEN PLAYING DIFFERENT SONGS? OR JUST THIS ONE?" He asked.

"IT'S BEEN THIS SAME ONE!" Aleina told him. "SHE USED TO LISTEN TO IT WHEN THE KIDS AT SCHOOL TEASED HER!" Draco frowned. People were teasing his Granger? **_He_** held that honor!

"WHAT ARE YOU THINKING, DRACO?" Pansy shouted.

"PANSY, BE A DEAR AND APPARATE TO THE MANOR FOR MY GUITAR!" Draco shouted. Once she was gone, he turned to Aleina and Ginny. "YOU TWO GO GET YOURSELVES READY! PANSY WILL FIX HERMIONE UP!"

"BUT MY DRESS!" Aleina protested.

"SO DO YOUR HAIR AND MAKEUP! I'LL SEND BLAISE OVER WITH YOUR DRESS!" Draco could feel himself getting hoarse from shouting, and a quick glance at Harry's watch told him that they didn't have much time. "POTTER, YOU AND WEASLEY GO TELL MR. GRANGER AND MY MOTHER WHAT'S GOING ON! LET MR. GRANGER DECIDE WHETHER TO TELL MRS. GRANGER AND MY MUM DECIDE WHETHER TO TELL MY DAD! THEY'LL KNOW WHAT TO DO!"

Given their tasks, the small crowd dispersed. Draco turned as Pansy handed him his guitar. Sitting it up, he paused. "ALRIGHT, BLAISE! YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO! PANSY! COUNT DOWN FROM TEN TO GIVE ME THE TIME TO GET READY!" They nodded. Blaise took up a refuge beside the bathroom door where he could duck in and apparate out with Aleina's dress before Hermione knew exactly what was happening. Pansy moved over to the closet that housed Hermione's dress. She held up her fingers and counted down from ten with them clearly, poised so that both men could see.

On one, Blaise murmered a spell and the music suddenly quit. As if someone had put an incredibly silencing charm around the occupants of the room that made the silence seem eerie after all of the music. Draco began to play...his fingers moving perfectly with the music that had been playing just moments before. This music, however, was much more reasonably pitched.

"I'm not supposed to be scared of anything,

But I don't know where I am." _Come on, Hermione_. Draco thought, watching the door as the sobbing within stopped and a shadow appeared at the bottom.

"I wish that I could move but I'm exhausted

And nobody understands..." He was half expecting Blaise to have to put in his input...but no.

"How I feel." The voice was definitely Hermione's. Encouraged, Draco continued playing.

"I'm tryin' hard to breathe now

But there's no air in my lungs." The door creaked open slowly and Hermione stood there, sniffling. Draco pretended not to notice.

"There's no one here to talk to

And the pain inside is making me numb." He hit a haunting chord.

"I try to hold this under control

They can't help me, cause no one knows.

Now I'm goin' through changes, changes.

God, I feel so frustrated, lately.

When I get suffocated, save me.

Now I'm goin' through changes, changes." He felt a gentle hand on his knee and molten silver met melted milk chocolate as he looked up.

"Feelin' weak and weary

Walkin' through this world alone

Everything they say every word of it

Cuts me to the bone"

"And I bleed." Hermione whispered, sniffling as he smiled at her and nodded.

"I've got something to say

But I've got nowhere to turn

It feels like I've been buried

Underneath all the weight of the world." She bowed her head and Draco longed to reach out to her...but he kept playing.

"I try to hold this under control

They can't help me, cause no one knows.

Now I'm goin' through changes, changes.

God, I feel so frustrated, lately.

When I get suffocated, save me.

Now I'm goin' through changes, changes.

Hermione began to sing softly with him. When she wasn't completely plastered and just fooling around, her voice was actually very beautiful. "I'm blind and shakin', bound and breakin'

I hope I'll make it, through all these changes!" Their eyes locked once more as Draco finished the song.

"Now I'm goin' through changes, changes.

God, I feel so frustrated, lately.

When I get suffocated, save me.

Now I'm falling apart, now I feel it.

But I'm goin' through changes, changes.

God, I feel so frustrated, lately!

And I get suffocated, I hate this!

But I'm goin' through changes, changes!" As he strummed the last of the chords, Hermione had pulled herself together and stood, drying her eyes.

"What are you doing here, you big goon?" She sniffed. "You're supposed to be on the other side of the church!" Draco felt himself smile. If goon was all that she was going to call him, then the day might be a good one after all. He felt even better about the day and the dreaded muggle wedding that was waiting them when she gave him a watery smile.

"Come now, Granger." His voice was softer than she had ever heard it, and she found herself reacting to it. "I couldn't very well let you miss our wedding, could I? Where's that Gryffindor Courage that everyone speaks so highly of?"

"I think I flushed it down the toilet with my lunch." She admitted sheepishly. "And now I'll never have time to get ready..."

"Not to worry." He assured her. "Pansy here..." Indicating the woman standing to one side waiting. "Is a well-known fashion miracle worker. So...I'll leave you in her capable hands and tell Potter, Weasley, and our parents that it's safe to proceed." He touched her cheek, his voice dropping to a murmur. "I'm not going to let you out of this one, Granger. You're stuck with me." With that he swept out of the room, leaving his fiancee stunned behind him.

Pansy was watching Hermione in an entirely new light. "He actually loves you." She said, sounding quite shocked.

"What? No he doesn't! It's just this stupid Marriage Law." Hermione said...not wanting to explore in depth why exactly she didn't feel as thrilled about that prospect as she should.

"I don't think so, Mione." Pansy said as she began helping the girl get dressed quickly. "People who are marrying other people just because of 'stupid Marriage Laws' don't look at said-other person as if said-other person was the most precious thing in the world."

"You're being ludicrous, Parkinson!" Hermione snapped in a tone that left no doubt whatsoever that the topic was closed.

"Maybe so, Granger, but I also know my best friend. He's been my best friend for our entire lives, after all." Not giving the young bride time to retort, Pansy cinched up the corset on the dress just enough to cut off any reply and began working on the hair and makeup.

**SCENEBREAKSCENEBREAKSCENEBREAK**

_One step at a time, Hermione...don't run away...don't freak out...you did fine at the rehearsal last night..._ Hermione coached herself. Pansy was, indeed, a miracle worker. The wedding was starting a mere four minutes late...and that only because Mrs. Granger had burst into tears and then left the room to double check her makeup. Hermione looked up at her father, who smiled down at her. She had considered having Harry and/or Ron escort her with her father...but they would get their chance three days hence at the second wedding.

After some deep discussion on the parts of Hermione, Draco, Annelise Granger, and Narcissa Malfoy, the honeymoon had been postponed until the summer holiday. Lucius had begun to protest, but Narcissa had put her foot down. Firmly.

Lucius was still sleeping outside with his prized Welsh Wolfhounds.

Fighting to keep from giggling at the memory, Hermione looked up as Aleina...the Maid of Honor, was escorted down the aisle by Blaise. Pansy and Ginny would be escorted by Ron and Harry, respectively.

...And there they went.

_I can't do this! What am I doing? I'm seventeen!_ Hermione turned to her father, her eyes wide with panic. "Daddy!" She whispered. He looked at her. "Daddy, I can't do this! Daddy..." She begged. He was already leading her towards the door leading to the chapel, ignoring her protests. Once they were actually in and she saw all of the eyes on her, she felt her stomach twist. Her heart and breath sped simultaneously and she fought valiently for a moment against the urge to cut and run... (a battle which she was losing specacularly)

...And then Molten Silver met Melted Chocolate and the world drifted away. She took his hand like a lifeline as her father gave her away, and he gave her a comforting smile. She barely heard the preacher's voice as he spoke...was barely aware of repeating the vows and saying 'I Do.' It seemed as if she had just been handed to Draco when the preacher's voice cut through her thoughts once more.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife...you may kiss the bride." Neither half of the young couple spared the preacher a glance as his lips brushed hers softly once...and then again with much more feeling. Pulling back, the heat in the molten silver pools promised more to come later and the dazed chocolate orbs were shining as they looked towards those watching. "Ladies and Gentlemen...Mr and **_Mrs_** Draco Malfoy!" At the claps, the wedding party moved out to meet and greet the dreaded well-wishers.

**SCENEBREAKSCENEBREAKSCENEBREAK**

"MALFOY! I AM NOT IN THE MOOD FOR THIS! WE'RE CATCHING THE TRAIN IN THIRTY MINUTES!"

"DAMN GRANGER, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING WAKING ME UP?"

"WELL SORRY! IF YOU HADN'T BEEN SO FUCKING **_DRUNK_** LAST NIGHT, YOU MIGHT FEEL BETTER NOW! AND IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN, MY NAME IS NOW OFFICIALLY HERMIONE **_MALFOY_** IN BOTH THE WIZARDING **_AND_** THE MUGGLE WORLDS!"

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! HEY!" A loud thud rang throughout Malfoy Manor and Narcissa looked up at her husband.

"I hope you know what you are doing." She said, darkly. Her slightly hungover husband shot her a dirty look before he glanced up towards the stairs...down which his son and new daughter-in-law would be coming at any moment.

"The mudblood will be a grand asset to our family, Narcissa." He reminded pointedly.

"Being nice to that little wench and her family makes me want to puke." She snapped back. Neither of them noticed that Hermione and Draco had just stepped into the doorway of the room...nor did they notice when the two teens stepped to either side of the door to listen. Draco watched Hermione's reaction, feeling something in his gut twist into a feeling that he knew well from his arguments with her. Only this time...it wasn't towards her. It was towards the people who put that stricken, speechless look on her face.

"Cissa..." Lucius' voice turned gentle and persuasive. "Our Master likes her. The Dark Lord himself has pledged to support both the mudblood and her parents. For now, she has His favor and we can do nothing."

"The Dark Lord should have known that she was going to be a **_temporary_** addition to this family! I won't have her sulley our bloodline, Lucius! It's all I have left! My own side's bloodline was polluted with that wretched Sirius and his love for Muggles! I won't have our son's purity compromised in the same way!"

"Draco is a married man, Cissa. Delaying their honeymoon will hardly stop the inevitable." Lucius reminded gently. Silver orbs met Brown, reading the desperate look in them. Draco clenched his fists. Why was he feeling this way? He was a servant of Voldemort! He wasn't supposed to want to **_kill_** Voldemort! Especially over a **_mudblood_**!

"I don't care! If the wench gets pregnant, I want you to trick her into aborting it, Lucius!"

"How in the blazes do you expect me to do that, Woman!" Lucius demanded. "Owl her with a nice box of chocolates come Valentine's Day with a note telling her to eat one after all of her intercourses with Draco?"

"Well, why not?" Narcissa demanded petulantly. It was sealed. Draco felt the heated fist in his gut turn to ice. His mother had just expressed intent to harm not only his wife, but any children that might come of the union. He didn't need to hear any more. Making a motion, he led Hermione back to the stairs and prayed that she was the actress that he thought she was. Or, at the very least, a decent actress.

Raising his voice, he growled. "God **_DAMN_** it, Mudblood! We don't have to catch the train for another hour!"

"I know!" Hermione took his hint, raising her voice pertly. "What of it, Ferret?"

"WHAT OF IT? **_WHAT OF IT!_** I COULD HAVE SLEPT FOR AT LEAST ANOTHER HALF AN HOUR!"

"NO YOU COULD NOT HAVE! YOUR MOTHER WANTED US DOWN FOR BREAKFAST!"

"BUGGER ON BREAKFAST!" They stormed into the dining room arguing, only to stop short once they saw the adults.

"Oh...um...Mr and Mrs. Malfoy..." Hermione stuttered.

Decent actress? Hell, she was already on her way to Hollywood...she just didn't know it yet. "Mum...Dad..." Draco murmured, sitting down and casting a sullen glare in the direction of his wife as she cast him a similar glare and plopping down across from him. Lucius and Narcissa shared a glance, oblivious, as the younger couple began fighting over everything from coffee to who got to eat the last egg.

From the hallway, however, a pair of indigo blue eyes and a pair of almond-shaped amber eyes watched in identical amusement, both thinking similar thoughts.

_Ah...Young Love..._


	16. Chapter 15: Enter the Twist

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ms. Rowling's wonderful creations. Nor do I own any of the various songs that may be presented throughout the length of this fanfiction. The various songs will be named at the end of the fic, as well as in the chapter within which they lie.**

**A big thanks and a shout out to all of my reviewers! Thank you so much!**

**_I am SOOOOO sorry about the length of my absence! Life has been hectic and promises to continue along such unfortunate lines. I have, however, finished yet another chapter for your enjoyment. I know that apologies cannot make you all forgive me as quickly as another update, and soon, will...so I'll do my best. _**

Yours,

_**Allison**_

**Chapter 15**

Hermione stepped off of the train, escorted by Draco. He put a hand in the small of her back once he was on the ground beside her and they began walking towards the horseless carriages. They met up with Pansy and Blaise at the carriage and Draco helped her inside. He and Blaise climbed in behind the women and sat down lightly. Hermione smiled, talking to them quietly about their break. She glanced out of the carriage window and saw a shapeless pool of black mist floating near the edge of the lake. A small smile curved at her lips and she turned her attention back to the conversation.

"So, we saw you two at the manor." Blaise grinned. "We called by floo and heard your argument."

"You two seem quite cozy together." Pansy teased. Hermione blushed brightly and looked up at Draco, who was watching her with a small smile on his face. As the four of them climbed out of the carriage and walked up the front steps, they stopped to see Raven Stryke, Titian, Teddy, and Albus Dumbledore standing on the step waiting.

"Ah. Mr and Mrs Malfoy." Dumbledore smiled. "Welcome back."

"Thank you, Professor." Hermione smiled, resting her hand formally in Draco's. Draco watched her talk, a smile curving just slightly at his lips. "It's good to be back. I trust you got the owl that I sent you on the train?"

"That I did, my dear. You are both in agreement on this, I hope?"

"We are, Professor." Draco said.

"Very well. Your rooms will be ready for you after the feast." Albus said, nodding to them with a smile. Hermione smiled and looked up at Draco, who kissed her cheek. "For now, let us go in."

"Fudge has been trying to break through the wards." Titian murmured to the Head Couple as they walked after the Headmaster and the Defense Professor into the castle. "He was furious when we wouldn't force Professor Snape to surrender his wand and go into Fudge's custody."

"He was even angrier when Raven told him in no uncertain terms that should he show his face at the school again, she would make sure that the Ministry needed a new minister." Teddy continued, grinning. "She said that there would be no fewer than fifty witnessess that he had thrown himself off of the south parapet into the lake, landing dramatically on a sharp rock or five."

"I bet Fudge didn't take that well." Hermione grinned evilly.

"That's an understatement." Titian said.

"Fudge broke his own wand in half with his grip!" Teddy chortled. "And then he flung the pieces at the aurors he'd brought with him and blamed them for his own incompetence before storming back towards Hogsmeade as fast as he could."

"His bowler cap flew off about five feet out and he ruined the image by having to scramble after it!" Titian was giggling by now.

"Scrambling back towards Hogwarts after it, even." Teddy added. "He was so red by this time that I thought he was going to explode!"

"Professor Dumbledore asked him if he would like someone to conjure up a bench for him to sit down and rest on!" Titian said. "And he turned **_purple_**!"

Hermione and Draco were holding onto each other for support by this time, fighting not to howl with laughter as they stumbled against a wall and leaned on it, laughing too hard to continue walking. "Oh lord...I can just imagine it." Hermione gasped.

"He reached for his wand automatically to try to hex someone," Teddy continued, "Only to realize it wasn't there. So the aurors that he'd thrown the wand at handed him the wand."

"Another one handed him the hat that she had neatly summoned back into her hand." Titian added.

"And Fudge slammed the hat down on his head, holding it there, his entire **_body_** purple practically, snatched both halves of his wand from the aurors, leaned forward against the wind..."

"...Ironically sticking his rear end into the air. Horrible picture, that..." Titian chimed in.

"And stormed off!" Teddy said. Unable to take it any longer, Hermione and Draco slid down the wall, laughing so hard that they were crying and clutching their stomachs.

"Oi! What have you done to them?" Ron and Harry walked up, Melissa and Kayla on their arms as they stared down at the newlyweds suspiciously...as if wondering who'd cast the tickle charm.

"We'll tell you...later...Harry." Hermione managed to gasp out between fits of laughter.

"When we can tell Blaise and Pansy, too." Draco added as they began to get control over themselves. "I don't think we could survive the retelling more than once."

"Oi!" Hermione said suddenly. "Teddy, can I get the memory in a pensieve from you? It'll be so much more priceless, that way!"

"Sure!" Teddy grinned, slipping his hand into Titian's and lifting her hand to his lips gently. The couple exchanged a look that was so full of love that Hermione couldn't help but feel envious.

"We'd best get going, we'll miss the feast." Harry said, quietly. He and Ron reached down to help Hermione and Draco up, and the eight of them hurried off to the Great Hall, taking seats.

**SCENEBREAKSCENEBREAKSCENEBREAK**

Hermione and Draco glanced at each other and nodded before kicking their visitors out of the common room. "We'll see you on Monday for classes." Hermione said.

"Monday?!" Harry yelped. "Hermione, it's Friday Night!"

"Yeah. So?" Hermione eyed him, arching an eyebrow.

"What could you **_possibly_** be doing when we leave that will take you from now until Monday?" Ron demanded. Hermione and Draco looked at each other before looking at Ron and arching very nearly identical eyebrows. "Oh..." The redhead flushed as bright as his hair and all but ran out the door. Pansy and Blaise sniggered as they stood up and followed Harry, Melissa, and Kayla in pursuit of the redheaded Gryffindor.

Once everyone was out, Hermione looked up at the portrait in which Natasha was sitting. "Take a break, Natasha. We'll be flooing the kitchen for meals this weekend."

"Very well." Natasha said with an altogether too knowing smile for the comfort of either of the teenagers. Hermione fidgeted and Draco looked away until the woman had disappeared from the portrait frame. When they were certain she was gone, Hermione looked slowly at Draco and Draco looked slowly at Hermione.

"Are you sure about this?" Draco asked softly. "It's not like you have..." He was silenced when she put a finger slowly over his lips.

"Shh..." Her lips pressed into his, slowly and softly. He let her lead for once, parting his lips beneath her gently probing tongue, letting her tongue stroke and explore his mouth in a dance that she'd perfected to a T. Her hands were gentle on his arms...unlike anything he'd ever truly felt before. With Pansy, it had been passionate, angry, fiery...but never tender, as this was. He found himself responding in kind, his body heating beneath the tender, hesitant touch of his new wife.

On Hermione's part, it was an exploration. She was nervous...who wouldn't have been?...but Draco made it much easier with his eagerness to let her be pleased. She took delight in the way he gasped, his hips trembling beneath her, as she slid an experimental tongue along the length of his member. The heat in her stomach was growing more and more pressing, and Hermione didn't hesitate when Draco drew her up into a kiss, switching their positions smoothly so that he was above her, pressing her form softly into the bed.

The two came together in slow, unhurried tenderness, as a pair of cobalt blue eyes stared down at the grounds from the astronomy tower, black mist swirling about.

**SCENEBREAKSCENEBREAKSCENEBREAK**

Hermione walked down the hallway with Pansy, Kayla, and Melissa, listening to their chatter. She'd had a bit of trouble walking the first week back from break, but had soon sorted herself out fine. Draco and the boys- Harry, Ron, and Blaise- were all out scrimaging on the Quidditch Pitch, leaving Hermione to hang out with the other women for once. She was listening to a rather heated debate between Melissa and Pansy about whether muggle or wizarding cosmetics were better, when she spotted a familiar face, staring at her.

Stopping short, she stared at Shry in return for a long moment before the other three girls noticed her absence and turned to her. Pansy followed her glance, spotting Shry and reaching discreetly for her wand, even as Kayla followed suit.

"What is it, Hermione?" Melissa asked, not so quick on the uptake.

"You guys go ahead. I just thought of something I need to do." Hermione said, softly.

"Hermione..." Pansy said, her voice low in warning.

"Go, Pansy. I'll be fine." Hermione said. The other three went, reluctantly, and Hermione walked silently up to Shry, where he was leaning on the wall, watching her. Hermione seemed to ignore him, walking past and through a door into an empty classroom, even as he turned and followed silently, locking the door behind him. "Shry." Hermione's voice was low as she paused only to throw up a silencing charm and a locking charm of her own.

"Hermione." He whispered. "I can't do it. I can't marry Hatlan."

"You can." Hermione moved into the boy- bigger in body form and structure than her own husband- and hugged him firmly. "You can. She'll be good for you."

"She accepted the petition." His face had buried itself in her hair, and she tightened her arms around his shoulder, holding him close. "Even now, she's planning the wedding." Hermione felt a wetness on her neck and froze. "Hermione..." His voice cracked, and he was falling and taking her with him. She only barely managed to keep it from being a very painful fall for the both of them, and as he latched onto her, she held him and stroked his back slowly, trying to bring him comfort.

_If only I'd had someone to hold me when I cried._ She thought, sadly. She'd been so caught up in planning to keep everyone else safe that she'd never had time to cry- she still hadn't truly cried about the turn of events that had earned her the diamond ring on her left hand. She lost track of how long they sat there, but when she felt his body relax completely and saw that he was asleep, Hermione sighed and drew out her wand, pointing it at him and focusing on his dorm room.

"Vanicimo." Standing up as he disappeared, she turned and walked quietly out of the classroom, brushing her robes straight and shouldering her bookbag, just as Ginny came around the corner at an almost-run, her hazel eyes wide and frantic and her hair flying behind her..

"Hermione!"

"Ginny? What is it?"

"Hermione, there's been an accident." Ginny grabbed her hand and began running towards the hospital wing before she could say anything else.


End file.
